Forget Antoine Semenyo: Tottenham should save £55m by targeting 134-goal machine
Tottenham have been linked with a big-money move for Antoine Semenyo but would they be better off looking elsewhere?
Tottenham Hotspur have several issues to address in the squad and Thomas Frank won’t be able to solve all of them in January.
There is one position that the Spurs boss could upgrade though with reports linking the Lilywhites with Antoine Semenyo. The Bournemouth winger won’t have a shortage of options when the window opens with Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal also interested in the 25-year old flyer. On this occasion, the money could be much better spent elsewhere with a possible £55m saving that would make the attack an entirely different proposition.
Who Spurs should sign instead of Semenyo
Semenyo would add quality to Spurs, that isn’t an argument, but with Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Xavi Simons, there are enough players who are capable of playing in wider areas of the park. What they really need, is a consistent goalscorer who can lead the line, add physicality and aggression.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season Dusan Vlahovic is available for around £10m in January. For a 25-year old with 134 career goals in 310 appearances – regardless of his wage demands – this is a bargain that Spurs shouldn’t turn their nose up at.
It is the one thing that Spurs don’t have through the spine of their team, a presence who can bring other players into the game as well as finish more of the chances that playmakers like Simons, Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski create.
Vlahovic might not quite be on the same tier as the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, but he is on the next level down and more than capable of being a 20-plus goal a season striker in the right team. He already has eight goals and two assists in 18 games for Juventus this season.
Are Spurs interested in Vlahovic?
Transfer journalist Graeme Bailey has reported recently that Spurs have been sounded out about a possible move, telling TBR: “Once again his people are touching base with potential landing spots – Chelsea and Tottenham have been spoken to by intermediaries.
“Much will depend on whether he wants a ‘pay day’ – he won’t get that in England. He would get major money obviously, but nothing compared to what he could earn in Saudi Arabia – he would only get more than his current salary at Juventus if he moved to the Middle East.
“But Vlahovic is just 25. Whilst doing well at Juventus, he hasn’t blown anyone away and you get the feeling he has unfinished business at this point of his career.”
Spurs shouldn’t break the bank for Vlahovic, but they should certainly be doing the sums. If they can afford a £65m plus wages deal for Semenyo, the money would be better spent on a battering ram of a no.9 who can cause carnage up front on his own, never mind with the help of others.