Spurs held internal talks to sign £87m ‘powerhouse’

Tottenham Hotspur made a pretty bold choice this summer when they decided to part ways with Ange Postecoglou after winning the Europa League trophy at the end of last season.

The Lilywhites ended a trophy drought that lasted almost two decades, but it was not enough to keep the Australian head coach in his post in north London.

They opted to go with Thomas Frank, who was poached by fellow Premier League side Brentford, to replace Postecoglou in the dugout, and he has enjoyed a terrific start to life at the club.

The Danish tactician led his side to a 3-0 win at Everton in the top flight on Sunday, which leaves Spurs in third place in the Premier League table after nine matches.

Two goals from Micky van de Ven and a late header from Pape Matar Sarr secured all three points for the Merseyside Lilywhites, but it was not a perfect performance.

For example, the Spurs head coach may not have been entirely happy with the performance of his starting number nine, as Randal Kolo Muani struggled.

Why Spurs need more Randal Kolo Muani

The Lilywhites need to make the most of their summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, as his performance against Everton was slightly alarming.

In his defence, it was his first Premier League start and only his second league outing for Spurs. However, he lost seven of his eight duels and had four unsuccessful touches out of a total of 15 touches, according to Sofascore, showing that the striker struggled with and without the ball.

Kolo Muani had to provide more of an outlet in the ninth position to provide some relief for his side at times, as the hosts pressed to score but were unable to get past an impressive Guglielmo Vicario, and failed to do so as James Tarkowski and Michael Keane found it too easy to get the better of him.

It remains to be seen whether or not Spurs will see a major improvement from the France international during his time in north London, as his form over two seasons with PSG left a little to be desired.

As you can see in the table above, Kolo Muani has underperformed his xG and scored just eight goals in 36 Ligue 1 matches for the French giants.

He did, however, score eight goals in 16 Serie A matches on loan at Juventus in the second half of last season, as well as two goals in three matches at the Club World Cup, according to Sofascore.

With Spurs expecting more from their striker and hoping he can channel the form he displayed for Juventus, the club would consider a striker who would be an instant upgrade over him.

Spurs have held talks to sign a new striker

According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Porto center forward Samu Aghehowa in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest are all showing an interest in the Spain international, as they look to strengthen their squads.

He adds that Porto have a release clause of 100 million euros, or around £87 million, in the marksman’s contract at the club, and they are not prepared to allow him to leave for less than that figure.

CaughtOffside adds that Spurs have had internal discussions about the potential for a short-term loan move, for the second half of the season, with the possibility of making it permanent next summer, but the £87million valuation is a hurdle at the moment.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Tottenham will test the waters with a formal offer for Samu’s services when the January transfer window opens.

Why Spurs should sign Samu in January

Spurs should rush to sign the center forward from Porto before the second half of the campaign as he could be an instant upgrade to Kolo Muani.

As mentioned above, the French international’s contrasting form for Juventus and PSG suggests there is no guarantee he will improve his performances and become a star for Frank in the coming months before the January window.

This means the Lilywhites could come into January and find they need a consistent and prolific striker who can score them the goals they might need to win silverware or qualify for the Champions League.

Samu’s form for Porto suggests he could arrive in north London to start as a lethal goalscorer for Frank, as he has scored five goals in seven league matches this season, according to Sofascore.

The Spanish striker also scored 25 goals in 41 matches for Porto in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, according to Sofascore, which included six goals in nine Europa League appearances.

As you can see in the table above, the former Atletico Madrid youngster surpassed Kolo Muani at league level last season, with nine more goals and one more assist in just four more appearances.

Samu, who has been described as an “absolute powerhouse” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored eight goals in all competitions so far this season, according to Sofascore, while Micky van de Ven is Tottenham’s top scorer with five goals, according to Transfermarkt.

This suggests he would be an instant upgrade on Kolo Muani, while also solving a glaring problem for Spurs as their centre-back is their top scorer heading into November.

Samu’s 33-goal return for Porto since the start of last season shows he can be a prolific and consistent player high up the pitch for Frank, while it remains to be seen which Kolo Muani side will move to north London.

Therefore, Spurs are expected to look to complete a deal for the Spanish centre-forward when the January transfer window opens, whether it is an initial loan deal or a direct permanent transfer.