Unless Tottenham Hotspur are looking at pushing the boat out and trying to sign the likes of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Dušan Vlahović at Juventus or Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen, I don’t see the point of making a striker the club’s main transfer target.
All three names mentioned are doubtful to join as they’re all at top/elite clubs and would only move to another elite club.
However, with the summer transfer window opening on June 14, every name currently linked to the club aren’t better than Richarlison.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney is crap and did the square root for jackshit after coming back from being found guilty of gambling, scoring only four times in 17 matches.
The 28-year-old England international would just seem to be a better fit for a side like West Ham and would form a great triangle with Jarred Bowen (depending on whether Liverpool make a move) and James Ward-Prowse. It would’ve been a quartet with Mohammed Kudus, but the Hammers could easily double their money from last summer by letting him move to Liverpool or Man United.
Another name I see speculated to wear the lilywhite is Dominic Solanke.
The Bournemouth frontman had a terrific season in the Premier League, scoring 19 in 38 games, but despite those brilliant stats, is he truly better than the Brazilian number nine in North London? For me, it’s a no.
I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt if Aston Villa were to lose Ollie Watkins, Solanke would be the ideal man to lead the line at Villa Park.
Same can be said of Santiago Gimenez, another player who had an excellent campaign for Feyenoord, netting 26 times during 41 games. However, I’m not totally convinced. My head could be turned at the right price. The Mexican does seem to be Ange Postecoglou’s main forward target because, at 23 years old, he still has time to develop and give Richy a run for his money.
Only these three names would be either level on par or just above our pigeon. I want to make it 100% clear that Richarlison stays. He had solid stats in an injury-hit season, scoring 11 times in 28 games and at the beginning of the year he was one of the in-form Premier League strikers with nine in ten.
The first name is Villa’s Watkins. His numbers last season speak for themselves — in 37 league games, he scored 19 times. More importantly, his unselfishness contributed 13 assists. I feel his link-up play with the likes of James Maddison and Son Heung-min would blend brilliantly.
The minor issue is that the forward is also on Liverpool’s radar.
On the other hand, if he decides to move to Merseyside, that’ll open the door for the possible exit of Darwin Núñez, and I, for one, would take him in a heartbeat.
In his two seasons in the Premier League, he has contributed 50 goals. Yet, the Uruguayan’s overall gameplay — where and how he scores and assists — makes me believe he could succeed. Additionally, his abilities and flexibility would match what Ange wants in his forwards.
Also, he’d be a great addition to the squad, rotating seamlessly with Richy, linking up with Son, Maddison, Brennan Johnson, and fellow countryman Rodrigo Bentancur, and at 24, he has time to develop.
The final name is a pure goalscorer and someone I’ve wanted at the club for a few years. That’s Lille’s Jonathan David. I believe he’s the most underrated striker currently playing and is perfectly ready for the next step up.
The 24-year-old Canadian’s numbers are fantastic: He scored 84 times in 183 games in the four seasons at the Ligue 1 club. He would be the perfect man to let the wingers do the hard work and be ready to finish every move with a shoot at goal.
I just worry that we’ll miss the boat on this player. As he’s entering the final year of his contract, the circumstances are becoming more ideal for big clubs. Lille won’t be able to demand a top fee for him and other Premier League clubs will start sniffing around him.
So David would be the top striking target Tottenham should be looking at, with Núñez and Watkins a joint second.
However, if we’re seriously looking at Solanke or Toney, I’d rather see our younger strikers given the opportunity to be Richarlison’s understudy. Troy Parrott had a wonderful campaign in Holland this season (17 goals in 32 games) and it might be worth giving the Irishman a preseason and would fit UEFA’s trained homegrown talent quoter.
Whilst Dane Scarlett and Alejo Véliz are players with plenty of potential that could literally match the abilities of Toney and Solanke within a season.
The Bear Cave 