Tottenham desperately need depth in one particular area ahead of the deadline.
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Tottenham were reminded of their need to strengthen one specific position after their entertaining draw with Manchester City on Sunday. Thomas Frank’s men followed up a big Champions League win during the week with a comeback draw with City at home.
Frank’s men went two goals behind and rallied back thanks to a brace from Dominic Solanke, the second of which will go down as one of - if not the - goals of the season.
Solanke pulled off an Olivier Giroud-esc - excuse the Arsenal reference - scorpion kick and rescued a point in impressive fashion. But Solanke’s day soured when he limped off with a possible injury.
It’s an all too familiar story for Solanke, who has struggled with injury throughout his time with Spurs. The 28-year-old has now had six different injuries, should this prove to be an injury as expected, missing 42 games in all.
Solanke has scored 11 goals for Tottenham, which is respectable given his limited league appearances, but his injury record is concerning. The striker did limp back onto the pitch to clap the fans after the game, so it could be a case of cramp or something similar, but we will know more in the coming hours.
What we do know is that Solanke has too often struggled with fitness, and Spurs just don;t have the required depth at the top end of the pitch, especially after the departure of Brennan Johnson earlier in the window, and indeed the Richarlison injury that will keep him out for at least two months.
Spurs need to act now to sign Duran
Tottenham need to sign a forward, and possibly two forwards if we are including wingers, before the window shuts on Monday evening. Spurs are not going to qualify for Europe while relying solely on Solanke, who can’t consistently keep fit, and they will undoubtedly regret not finding a striker to add competition and an alternative option.
One of the obvious options is former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, who is reportedly being offered to clubs by Fenerbahce ahead of the Monday deadline. It;s claimed Fenerbahce want out of the loan deal they have with Al-Nassr, and that means Duran could be available on a loan deal and some potential compensation to Fenerbahce.
Duran scored 12 goals in 55 league appearances for Villa prior to his big money move to Al-Nassr, worth £64million plus add-ons. He scored eight goals in 13 league games in the Saudi Pro League, but did not seem to settle well, leading to a loan move to Türkiye.
Spurs need a frontman who can challenge Solanke and add something different, and Duran can offer that while already being experienced in Premier League football.
During his Villa days, Duran was described by John McGinn as being ‘nuts’ but ‘quality’. The Scot said: "Big Jhon [Duran] is a bit nuts and is a nightmare to have in your team, but he's got quality. We need to keep his feet on the ground over the next couple of days."