Tottenham have been strongly linked with a move for Yoane Wissa this summer.
Wissa has become one of the Premier League’s top strikers after being converted into a more traditional number nine by Thomas Frank, scoring a career-high 20 goals in all competitions last season.
The Democratic Republic of Congo international has attracted interest from a host of clubs this summer, with Newcastle being the latest to report an interest after missing out on Hugo Ekitike.
However, Wissa would prefer a reunion with Frank, who has been looking at bringing his former player to North London.
Wissa deal unlikely as Man United agree to sign Bryan Mbeumo
Frank’s arrival first saw Spurs linked with a move for Bryan Mbeumo, but their interest in the Cameroon forward cooled as he expressed a desire to join Manchester United instead.
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Negotiations between the Bees and the Red Devils appeared to stall over a difference in valuation of the 24-year-old before Brentford finally accepted United’s latest offer of £71million.
This comes as double jeopardy for Frank, who not only loses out on one of his targets but is now far more unlikely to secure a deal for Wissa, as reported by Lyall Thomas (18 July).
The West London outfit made it clear that they did not want to lose both Mbeumo and Wissa in the same window, having already seen plenty of upheaval this summer.
Newcastle’s push for Wissa is likely what triggered Ruben Amorim’s side to hasten their approach for his strike partner, as they were aware of Brentford’s stance.
Frank will now likely have to look elsewhere for a striker and will hope to swiftly find an adequate alternative.
Frank to assess his options
Tottenham have made a concerted effort to bring in players with Premier League experience to help guide the young squad, as evidenced by their signing of Mohammed Kudus and ongoing pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White.
Wissa ticks those boxes, but now that Brentford’s situation has changed, Spurs are running out of options.
They could still look to players like Rodrigo Muniz at Fulham or possibly Jean-Philippe Mateta at Crystal Palace, but are facing an uphill battle to find the right fit.
Frank may instead target bringing in another wide forward and focusing on converting someone like Mathys Tel into a more natural number nine, as he has done previously with players at Brentford.