Tottenham Hotspur are in contention for relegation, and Igor Tudor has wasted no time on the good stuff since taking over from Thomas Frank as he injects this harsh reality into the club.
After being sent off by Arsenal in his first game at the helm, the Spurs manager said he had never faced a tougher challenge, with relegation to the second tier having disastrous consequences for the Londoners.
16th in the Premier League and very close to the relegation zone, Tottenham need to make a change, and despite scoring in the North London derby, Randal Kolo Muani may not be the number nine.
Why Spurs must offload Kolo Muani
We are a long way from the days of Harry Kane leading the line at Tottenham. The club’s record goalscorer left a hole in the spear that has not yet been closed.
Dominic Solanke is a talented and powerful striker, but his fitness levels have relegated him to muddy waters since leaving Bournemouth and signing for Spurs in an initial £55m deal. He returned, but Tudor favored Kolo Muani for his first game in charge.
Kolo Muani, 27, has waxed and waned in recent years but remains a classy, quick and powerful striker. On loan from Paris Saint-Germain, he scored his first Premier League goal last weekend, scoring six goals in 12 games under Tudor’s management, playing for the Croatian coach at Juventus last season.
There is no purchase obligation within Kolo Muani’s contract with the club, but that doesn’t mean that door isn’t open yet. Given that PSG signed the France international from Eintracht Frankfurt for around £71m, any future pursuit the Lilywhites may pursue will come at a high financial cost.
Solanke is returning to form after injury, so perhaps that’s not the best course of action, especially considering the Londoners have plenty of talented strikers looking for a place.
One youngster in particular has the chance to feature in the Spurs first team, but that won’t come until next season as he is currently on loan in the Championship.
Spurs’ “Harry Kane regen” could end Kolo Muani’s stay
Kolo Muani was keen to leave Tottenham in January; The suitors in Italy were determined to get him until the end of the campaign. However, injuries are rife in every corner of the N17, and letting such a player go would be a disaster.
Having said that, Kolo Muani must be allowed to leave at the end of the term, with sporting director Johan Lange not even involved in talks to replace him permanently.
The path to the first team should be closed to talented strikers who can work under Solanke, and in Will Lankshear, the future manager of Spurs may find an ideal option.
Lankshear, 20, is currently playing a season with Oxford United, and has scored six goals in 35 games. In hindsight, this isn’t anything to write home about, but Lankshear’s strength and awareness and ambition as one of the division’s top fighters underscores his potential.
After all, he was described as “Harry Kane regen” by one scout, who imitated the England legend by leaving Arsenal’s academy at Tottenham when he was young, then went on to increase his strength in a series of loans.
The number nine available to complete the build-up sequence, Lankshear is a natural at finishing what his strengths suggest in the playmaking style. He has a modern twang, however, averaging 0.7 key passes per game, meaning he is constantly connecting with those around him and creating for his teammates.
A key pass is a pass that leads directly to a shot at the opponent’s goal.
Oxford aren’t exactly a free-flowing side in the Championship and Lankshear averages less than 20 touches per game, so this is a brilliant confirmation of his potential against a team like Tottenham.
What is most impressive is the physical condition of the hope. Lankshear is young but strong and strong, a strong frame sees him withstand the rigors of the second division.
Can Lankshear end up imitating someone like Kane? Such talk is premature, but there is no doubt that he has the potential to play an important role at Tottenham, and keeping Kolo Muani next year will prevent him.
The situation is dire, but that doesn’t mean Spurs don’t have a way out of the mess they’re in.
|
Tottenham’s all-time record players |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
Applications |
Goals |
|
Harry Kane |
435 |
280 |
|
Jimmy Greaves |
376 |
266 |
|
Bobby Smith |
316 |
211 |
|
Heung-min Son |
454 |
173 |
|
Martin Chivers |
350 |
167 |
They need to end worries about their place in the English top flight. Tottenham are one of the biggest clubs in England, and while a youngster like Lankshear could stand a strong chance of a place in Tottenham’s senior team next season if they drop down to the Championship, he has something Kane-esque about him and needs to play at a high level.
Tudor could sign Dragusin “closest thing” Spurs “should do to Ledley King”
Tudor need to fix Tottenham’s strong defense quickly.
