Spurs target “monster” signing who’s like Kane

For the best part of a decade, Tottenham Hotspur didn’t have to worry about signing a new starting striker, as in Harry Kane, they already had arguably the best in the world.

However, with the Englishman out of the side last season, the North Londoners found putting away their chances to be quite a bit harder, as exemplified by the fact they underperformed their open play expected goals in the league by 5.55, per Understat.

The arrival of Dominic Solanke this season has helped alleviate the problem somewhat, but even still, the club is underperforming by 1.20 in open play despite being the league’s top scorers at present.

So, it’s not all that surprising to see recent reports linking the club to another talented striker, a striker who’s outscoring Solanke and Son Heung-min and has been compared to Kane in the past.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Spain, Tottenham are one of several sides interested in Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that Chelsea are also interested in bringing the former Brentford ace back to the Premier League, as he is supposedly unhappy with the level of competitiveness in the Saudi Pro League and ‘has not found the same motivation’ that he did in England.

There is no price mentioned in the story, but it is said that the Middle Eastern side would demand a sizable fee to facilitate any move due to them spending around £40m on the 28-year-old in the summer and paying him a mammoth weekly wage of around £407k.

So, there are certainly some hurdles to overcome should Spurs want to sign Toney, but given his incredible ability and record in England, this is a transfer that feels worth the hassle, especially as he’s outscoring Solanke and Son, and was compared to Kane earlier this year.

Why Spurs should sign Toney

So, before we look at his record compared to Solanke’s and Son’s, let’s examine this comparison to the Lilywhites’ all-time leading goalscorer, which came from England teammate Declan Rice.

Prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the former West Ham United captain highlighted the then-Brentford ace’s creative capabilities as similar to the England captain’s, saying, “he’s not only an out-and-out striker, he’s a playmaker as well.”

“He’s kind of like Harry Kane in a way where he’s not only an out-and-out striker, he’s a playmaker as well – his left and right-footed passing, the way he picks out his teammates is a special technique to have.”

You can see where the Arsenal ace was coming from when looking at the 28-year-old’s output from his time in England; in 141 appearances for the Bees, he provided 23 assists, which works out to one every 6.13 games.

In comparison, the former Lilywhites star provided 61 assists in 435 appearances for the North Londoners, which means he maintained a slightly worse average of one every 7.1 games despite his reputation of being a brilliant creator and a goalscorer.

With that said, how does the former Newcastle United ace’s output from this season stack up to the likes of Solanke’s and Son’s?

Unsurprisingly, given his form in England and the lower opposition in the Saudi Pro League, he blows both Spurs stars out of the water.

For example, in just 16 appearances, the “monster” striker, as dubbed by former manager Thomas Frank, has scored eight goals and provided three assists, equating to an average goal involvement every 1.45 games.

In contrast, the former Bournemouth star has scored six goals and provided three assists in 17 games, while the South Korean ace has scored four goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.88 and 1.75 games, respectively.

Finally, for those who aren’t convinced by performances in a considerably weaker league, you only need to look at his Premier League record with Brentford, which stands at 36 goals and 11 assists in 83 appearances, or a goal involvement every 1.76 games.

Ultimately, despite topping the scoring charts in the league, Spurs are still missing opportunities in front of goal, and while it could be expensive, signing Toney seems like a brilliant way to solve that problem, as he’s undeniably proven at this level, even if he’s spent a few months out of the country.