Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign Leicester City forward Bilal El Khannouss.
TBR Football understands that Tottenham admire El Khannouss and have added him to their list of attacking midfield targets.
Spurs are having to look elsewhere after Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest, forcing the North Londoners to back away from a deal.
The Moroccan is now on their list of alternatives, and the club’s supporters have plenty to say about him, having seen him in action last season.
Claims Bilal El Khannouss was ‘one of the best players’ at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Spurs fans claim Bilal El Khannouss was ‘one of the best players’ at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season.
The 21-year-old played a key role in helping Leicester City to win 2-1 against Tottenham last season, with a wonderful goal against the Lilywhites.
The midfielder picked up the ball halfway inside Tottenham Hotspur’s half and drove at the defence, before curling his effort beyond Antonin Kinsky.
El Khannouss is valued at just £20m at Leicester, which could make him a real bargain signing after the Foxes were relegated.
Spurs would also face competition for him with Crystal Palace targeting El Khannouss, and there has also been interest from Arsenal, Newcastle and Sunderland.
Tottenham supporters have now taken to X to share their thoughts on the player and hit back at claims he would not be good enough for Thomas Frank’s team.
One fan said: “I was at that game also, and even my son picked him out, saying he’s a good player.
“Some people are tunnel-visioned in Spurs, that’s fine, that’s what they enjoy. But some of us watch other teams, so yes, some of us would have heard of El Khannous before.”
Meanwhile, another supporter added: “I was very impressed with how he played in a poor Leicester team.”
There was further praise for El Khannouss: “He’s not a flashy name like Gibbs-White or Eze, but he may still improve our team.
“I’m not going to claim that I know everything about him, but I’m also not going to throw my toys out of the pram if we sign someone like him.”
The North London club are now facing a big couple of weeks in the transfer window with a sense that other clubs are continuing to pull away.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man United have all made considerable progress this summer with new additions to their squad.
Spurs have so far added Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai, which is not enough for a club that just finished 17th.
Bilal El Khannouss could be the perfect Morgan Gibbs-White alternative
El Khannouss could be the perfect Gibbs-White alternative, as beyond the face value of goals and assists, the two have similar underlying data.
Both players are traditionally number tens, but are also well-rounded as midfielders and can feature in deeper-lying roles.
El Khannouss actually tops Gibbs-White in terms of percentage of duels won and progressive carries, which could be an ideal fit for Frank’s side.