Pundit believes Spurs’ kid lacks the strength required to play as a number nine.

 

 

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the number nine position at Tottenham, with Son Heung-min enjoying a lot of success since being shifted to the center-forward position.

However, Richarlison has struggled in front of goal, prompting speculation that Tottenham may look to sign a striker in January.

Tottenham have been linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney (Daily Express), Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez (90 minutes), Lille’s Jonathan David (TEAMtalk), and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic (CaughtOffside).

However, several sources have stated in recent days that Tottenham are unlikely to recruit a centre-forward, with Postecoglou content with Son and Richarlison as his choices (Dean Jones – GiveMeSport).

The Spurs manager’s second left-field option is to put Johnson in the middle, with the 22-year-old featuring regularly for Wales as the central striker.

The former Nottingham Forest man led the line for the Dragons again in their World Cup qualifier against Tukey on Tuesday, with the teams splitting the spoils at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Ward told the BBC Sport website during the game, “Brennan Johnson, he’s not small, but he doesn’t quite have that upper body strength and ability to hold a player off as you need to do as a number nine at times.”

Johnson is also used to playing as the number ten, which is an option for Ange given that Maddison is out until the New Year. However, it appears that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino favors the 22-year-old’s quickness and directness on the flank.

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Spurs are facing a pivotal January window.

January will be an important month for new Spurs sporting director Johan Lange, who will be handling his first transfer window at N17. The former Aston Villa staffer, who was responsible for bringing in the likes of Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash, and World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, will be looking to repeat his previous success in north London.

Lange has been entrusted with providing fresh faces to Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, who is dealing with an ongoing injury and suspension issue.

Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, who were stars under Postecoglou after coming in the summer, will not be seen again until 2024, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie’s suspensions also reducing Tottenham’s roster to skeletons. While all four will return when the transfer window reopens, their absences have highlighted Spurs’ serious lack of depth, so new reinforcements are an absolute must if Postecoglou wants to qualify for the Champions League.

According to reports, the Lilywhites are looking to add a new winger and a left-sided center-back to their squad this winter. Spurs’ pursuit of a van de Ven replacement on defense has been well publicized. Lange is reportedly interested in signing Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth, while Tottenham are said to be interested in Ben Godfrey from Everton as well.

Meanwhile, the injuries to Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, and Manor Solomon have left Postecoglou with only Bryan Gil, Brennan Johnson, and Dejan Kulusevski as available wide attackers.

As a result, Spurs are interested in Juventus’ Samuel Iling-Junior, with Italian news outlet Calciomercato providing an update on the situation this week.

Juve are “open” to selling Iling-Junior, according to their sources, as the Spurs circle for his signature. The 20-year-old, who has featured in a supporting role under Massimiliano Allegri this season, is now on the market, with Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli identifying him as a top candidate to be transferred.

The Serie A heavyweights must collect funds for their own transfer ambitions, with Iling-Junior willing to depart for greater playing time.

As a result, Juventus is eager to make a deal while Tottenham waits in the wings. Allegri’s side has set a reasonable price of roughly £17.3 million to let Lange depart, which is excellent news for Lange and his teammates.

While the former Chelsea academy youngster hasn’t seen much action this season, journalist Michele Neri recently stated Iling-Junior is a fan favorite after impressing in his brief outings. Meanwhile, journalist Antonio Mango has recommended the winger as a player “to watch,” highlighting his “high energy” and “dreamy” ball skills.

Iling-Junior appears to tick a lot of boxes for Postecoglou in his search for another wide winger.