Spurs plotting move to sign £68m “magician”

Thomas Frank has a massive job on his hands at Tottenham Hotspur for the 25/26 campaign.

On top of having to navigate the Champions League, the Danish coach will be expected to lead the team to a far better finish in the Premier League, as well as making a proper dent in the domestic cup competitions.

To ensure the former Brentford boss has the best chance of making his first season at the club a successful one, Daniel Levy and Co need to do everything they can to bring in the right players this summer.

One of the names that has been in the news a lot lately is Antoine Semenyo, although, based on recent reports, Spurs could go after someone who’d be an even better signing.

Spurs moving after Premier League star

Semenyo has seemingly caught the attention of several Premier League sides this summer, from Manchester United to Arsenal, but the links to Spurs in recent weeks appear to be some of the strongest.

It’s not hard to understand why so many teams would be interested in the Bournemouth star, as he’s proven himself in the league and managed to rack up a pretty impressive haul of 20 goal involvements in 42 appearances this season.

Yet, with reports suggesting he would cost the North Londoners upwards of £70m, the club has also been looking for other exciting options, such as players like Eberechi Eze.

At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Sebastien Vidal, who has claimed that Spurs are “plotting a move for” the Crystal Palace star.

Vidal mentions that Semenyo and Bryan Mbeumo are also on the North Londoners’ shortlist, as Frank is “pushing for a top winger this summer.”

While a price isn’t mentioned in the story, it has been widely reported this year that the Englishman has a release clause worth around £68m in his contract with the Eagles.

It wouldn’t be a cheap transfer, but given Eze’s experience and ability, he’d be a better signing than Semenyo.

Why Eze would be a better signing than Semenyo

So then, the first reason, and it’s a big one, why Eze would be a better signing than Semenyo is down to his raw output.

For example, the Cherries star’s 20 goal involvements came in 42 appearances, totalling 3562 minutes, which means that he was able to maintain an average of a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 178.1 minutes.

In contrast, the Eagles “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, scored his 14 goals and provided his 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes, which comes out to a far more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Moreover, the Englishman has proven that he can cope in the most intense and pressurised moments, as he scored in the semi-final FA Cup against Aston Villa and then scored the winning goal against Manchester City in the final.

On top of that, while the 26-year-old primarily played in attacking midfield this season, he’s more than capable of playing out wide as well, which somewhat helps to minimise Semenmyo’s advantage in being able to play on both sides of the pitch.

Finally, comparing the pairs’ underlying numbers only further helps to highlight how much more impactful the former QPR star could be in North London.

While there are some metrics in which he comes out second best, there are far more in which the England international is clearly superior, including things like key passes, successful take-ons and shot-creating actions, which paints the picture of an all-action attack-focused player who’s just as capable starting attacks as he is finishing them.

Ultimately, while Semenyo would be a good signing for Spurs, Eze would undoubtedly be an even better one, and for potentially £2m less, one that feels like a total no-brainer.

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