Spurs “looking” at £100m “monster” who’s “like Harry Kane”

This first-class striker would end Richarlison’s free-scoring success as the focal frontman.The Brazilian bagged his sixth goal from as many matches in the top flight after cancelling out Rasmus Hojlund’s fierce opener in the first half, and while his return to goalscoring form has come at a perfect time – with talisman Heung-min Son absent at the Asia Cup – it’s unlikely that he will enter a lasting vein of form to produce the same results as, say, Harry Kane.

That particular goalscorer enjoyed quite the prolific success at Tottenham, scoring 30 goals last season before transferring to Bayern Munich in August, closing the door on a career-long affiliation with the Lilywhites that had culminated in his status as the record scorer – with 278 strikes from 430 outings.

He has not yet been replaced and this is something that will be addressed in the summer; Spurs have welcomed versatile forward Timo Werner to the pack this month but he is not the focal frontman still needed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs transfer news – striker

Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, who has scored 12 goals from 19 Premier League appearances this season, has been linked with a move to Tottenham over recent weeks and so too has Dutch Eredivisie champion Santiago Gimenez, who has been touted at £30m by Feyenoord.

However, Postecoglou has shown his lofty ambitions since day one and, with this in mind, it’s not surprising that Brentford phenom Ivan Toney is on the club’s radar.

It halted a sensational rise to prominence with Brentford that had seen his talismanic qualities shine through, leading the charge as Thomas Frank’s side escaped from the Championship and cemented a spot in the top division.

Last season, the one-cap international scored 20 goals and provided four assists from 33 matches in the Premier League, as per Sofascore, winning 6.7 duels per match and creating 12 big chances for his teammates.

A dynamic centre-forward with an all-encompassing skill set, Toney ranks among the top 15% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, the top 7% for interceptions and the top 16% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref.

Not only is he deadly in the danger area but he threads the play together and brings the best out of his teammates, having even been remarked to be “unplayable” at times by pundit Alan Shearer.

How Ivan Toney compares to Harry Kane

Toney might be something of a goalscoring machine but he is clearly a player of expansive style and because of this he may well be the perfect fit for Postecoglou’s Tottenham side.

Of course, numerous high-profile teams have the same thought in mind and it will be difficult to prevail in this race, though given that Toney’s Three Lions teammate Declan Rice has proclaimed him to play “like Harry Kane”, such is his prowess as a complete centre-forward. As was noted earlier, the 27-year-old created 12 big chances in the Premier League last season to perch alongside his clinical return, with only Kane surpassing this tally, as evidenced below.

Kane might be one of the most fearsome goalscorers in European football but he is also one of the most creative and industrious, ranking among the top 2% of forwards for goals scored, the top 12% for assists and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90.

By making a move for Toney – who has been described as a “monster” of a player by Frank – and completing his Tottenham squad with a starring striker, Postecoglou could not only take his side to the next level but he could provide it with a Kane replica to serve perfectly within the project.

Having a player of such style would have a glowing effect on the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski, with the aforementioned Richarlison perhaps benefitting too.