Tottenham Hotspur could use a new centre forward and there is a top striker who could be available on a free transfer next summer – Jonathan David.
Goals have not been a problem for Tottenham this season. Although there have been some poor attacking performances in matches like the North London derby and the 1-0 defeats to Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth, Spurs have found the back of the net 31 times in the Premier League, with only Chelsea scoring more.
But Tottenham’s goals this season have been spread amongst their first-team squad more so than in recent years, as they have become less reliant on the centre-forward, who for many years was Harry Kane.
In fact, Brennan Johnson is Tottenham’s top scorer in the league this season, but he only has six goals, which is less than half of the two players leading the race for the Golden Boot – Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.
Tottenham’s newest striker is Dominic Solanke and he has generally received praise for his performances since arriving from Bournemouth. However, with just five goals in the league, which is the same number James Maddison has scored, and eight big chances missed, he has not been clinical enough for Spurs, despite impressing with his all-round play.
Solanke’s best goalscoring campaign in the English top flight came last season, when he netted 19 times in 37 starts, which is still considerably less than Tottenham’s record goalscorer, Kane, who scored 30 times in two different seasons, while Spurs captain, Heung-min-Son, only scored two fewer goals than Solanke last season.
Therefore the key question must be, is Solanke a good enough goalscorer to start for Tottenham? Some would say no and even if the answer is yet, the issue of squad depth must be raised, with the Lilywhites lacking in options.
Richarlison has already been linked with a move away from Spurs and has spent much of his time at the club sidelined through injury. It is difficult to view him as a viable option when he cannot be relied on to be fit to play. Meanwhile, they also have Will Lankshear, but his red card against Galatasaray shows he still has a lot to learn.
Solanke is going nowhere and despite his modest goalscoring record so far, he is a useful player to Tottenham, but they need another striker if they are going to compete for trophies and one man they have recently been linked with signing is LOSC Lille’s Jonathan David.
David has long been on the North London sides’ radar, with scouts sent to watch him while he was still playing for Gent, and now it looks more likely than ever that a deal could be agreed, with the 24-year-old set to become a free agent next summer.
One of the most distinct features of David is his goal-scoring ability. He has already bagged 11 goals in 11 league starts for Lille this season, as well as notching in four goals in four starts in the Champions League, scoring against some quality teams including Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Juventus.
While a number of these goals have been penalties, they all count and his threat in front of goal appears to have consistently increased over the years.
In March last year, David was valued at €60m on Transfer Markt and so securing him for free would be a huge positive for Spurs. They should do all they can to sign the proven goalscorer, who would undoubtedly strengthen their squad.
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