Spurs move close to signing £25m “powerhouse”

Spurs move close to signing £25m “powerhouse”

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When it rains, it pours, which is undoubtedly the case for Tottenham Hotspur.

The North Londoners’ Premier League campaign went from bad to worse yet again on the weekend, as they endeavoured to throw away a 1-0 lead at home to relegation-threatened Leicester City, losing 2-1.

In the Lilywhites’ defence, they are still missing most of their first-choice backline, a handful of midfielders and now star striker Dominic Solanke, who was confirmed to be out for “around six weeks” on Thursday.

solanke-spurs

In his absence, Ange Postecoglou had to start Richarlison, and while he scored, his record of 18 goals and nine assists in 77 games for the club suggests he cannot be relied upon to lead the line, although, in positive developments, recent reports have linked the club with a centre-forward who outscored Solanke last term.

Tottenham target European striker

According to a recent report from the print edition of Record via TEAMtalk, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in Ajax striker Brian Brobbey.

brian-brobbey

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that fellow Premier League side West Ham United are keen to land the Dutch forward, as are Serie A giants AS Roma.

However, while the competition is intense, the story claims that Spurs are ‘edging closer to a deal’ for the 22-year-old, and while Ajax would rather complete a £25m sale this month, a loan to buy deal now looks more likely.

brian-brobbey-ajax-premier-league-everton-transfers

It’s a lot of money to commit to a player who’s been lacklustre for much of this season, but Brobbey was immense last year, and with Solanke the long-term first choice, signing the Dutchman as a promising backup seems like a gamble worth taking.

Why Spurs should sign Brobbey

So, the first thing to say is that, yes, this season has been an undeniably underwhelming one for Brobbey.

brian-brobbey-ajax-premier-league-everton-transfers

In all, the Amsterdam-born poacher has racked up a tally of three goals and seven assists in 29 games for Ajax, although, while that certainly doesn’t look great, he has only played 1364 minutes of football across those appearances.

That means that while he’s averaging a goal involvement every 2.9 games, he’s also averaging one every 136.4 minutes, which is far less concerning, especially as we know he can be even more productive than that based on his form last year.

brian-brobbey-ajax

For example, in 43 appearances totalling 3369 minutes, the free-scoring “powerhouse,” as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, found the back of the net on 22 occasions and provided 12 assists to boot.

Therefore, despite being just 21 years old at the start of the campaign, the seven-capped international averaged a goal involvement every 1.26 games or every 99.08 minutes.

Not only is this level of output seriously impressive in its own right, but it’s also more than Solanke was able to manage in the same campaign.

For example, in his final season with Bournemouth, the 28-year-old sharpshooter scored 21 goals and provided four assists in 42 appearances, totalling 3553 minutes, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games, or every 142.12 minutes.

Brobbey vs Solanke in 23/24

Player

Brobbey

Solanke

Appearances

43

42

Minutes

3369′

3553′

Goals

22

21

Assists

12

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.79

0.59

Minutes per Goal Involvement

99.08′

142.12′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Now, there is the massive caveat here that the Eredivisie is a far easier league, but the fact that the former RB Leipzig ace was able to rack up such a haul while being so young is undoubtedly promising.

Moreover, as he’d be joining the North Londoners to support the former Cherries striker and not replace him, there would be far less pressure on him to instantaneously hit the heady heights he did last season.

Ultimately, Tottenham need a new striker to cover for Solanke now and when he’s fit again, and while he’s not set the world alight this season, signing Brobbey on a loan to buy deal seems like smart business, especially with the reported price not being too dear.

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