Tottenham Hotspur squeezed through a tough Europa League qualifying round win against Shkendija this week. While manager Jose Mourinho had plenty of kind words for Heung Min Son, it seems that Spurs are still in the mood to add another pure striker to their squad. This comes after Spurs have already bagged perhaps the biggest signing of the summer transfer window with the return of Gareth Bale on loan.
So why does Tottenham need another striker, and who’s most likely to be leading the Spurs attack in the future?
There have been ongoing demands from Jose Mourinho that Tottenham desperately need another striker in case their star centre forward Harry Kane gets injured again.
Last season saw Tottenham’s chances of getting a Champions League spot decimated once Kane was put out of action for several months as a result of the hamstring injury he suffered. Spurs struggled through a fairly lackluster season, with forward, but not a true striker, Heung-Min Son fracturing his arm in a game against Aston Villa.
All of which has meant that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has repeatedly been asked to sign another striker so that Tottenham have plenty of attacking options. Many of the bookmakers featured at betting resources such as CaptainGambling currently have fairly long odds for Tottenham being able to end up in the top four this season. But with Mourinho making repeated calls for a new central forward, hopes are high that this can be achieved before the summer transfer window closes in a little over a week.
Many of the top strikers in English football have been rumoured to be the next big Tottenham signing. In particular, Southampton’s Danny Ings has been the subject of repeated speculation that he could be coming to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With Ings’ incredible goalscoring run last season and his natural striker’s instinct, he would make a perfect back-up for Kane. But all indications show that Ings is highly unlikely to leave the Saints, although this situation could change if Southampton continue their miserable start to their Premier League campaign.
Watford’s Troy Deeney is another high profile English star who has been rumoured to join Tottenham. The Hornets stalwart certainly has the goalscoring touch and profile to fit in the Spurs team. But whether his fairly outspoken temperament would get on well with the likes of Jose Mourinho is another matter.
As a result, many think that Tottenham might have to look overseas to get their next striker. Last summer we saw endless speculation that Paulo Dybala could be set to leave Juventus to come to Spurs. However, this deal had an asking price of over £50 million, and it seems that Spurs were simply unwilling to pay his fees.
Other options include Alexander Sorloth. The Crystal Palace owned striker has also been linked to top European clubs like RB Leipzig, and rumours are that he would be unwilling to play second fiddle to Harry Kane.
There are more rumours yet, linking Spurs to a possible deal with Wout Weghorst. The Wolfsburg striker is one of the most fearsome goalscorers in the Bundesliga, and early indications are that Tottenham may be ready to pay the £32 million asking price for the 6ft 6in forward.
In fact there aren’t too many strikers in Europe who haven’t been linked with a possible move to Tottenham. Carlos Vinicius at Benfica has repeatedly been mentioned as becoming a back-up for Kane, although it seems fairly unlikely that the Portuguese club would be willing to let their star striker go.
Then there’s the Polish international Arkadiusz Milik. The striker is currently at Napoli and Spurs representatives recently held positive discussions with the Italian club over the supposed move.
Obviously, Spurs will need to shift some of their own players to make way for a new signing. Already it looks like Serge Aurier could be on his way out, and Danny Rose also looks to be unable to fit in with Jose Mourinho’s vision of the new team.
Plus with ongoing rumours that Dele Alli could be set to join Paris Saint Germain, it seems as though there will be a very new-look Tottenham in the new Premier League season.