Spurs: Lilywhites receive Kane replacement boost
Ange Postecoglou could yet get his replacement for Harry Kane…
Following the exit of Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur have been left without a natural goal scorer and are running out of time to find a replacement, with the summer transfer window coming to an end in just over a week.
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The Lilywhites have, however, received a boost in their pursuit of KAA Gent forward Gift Orban, according to reports.
What’s the latest on Gift Orban to Tottenham Hotspur?
It was previously reported that Spurs scouts were left blown away by Orban, and believe that the forward is the key man to replace Kane this summer. Now, the North London club have received another positive boost in the saga.
According to Het Nieuwsblad, via Sport Witness, Gent actually now want to sell their forward to Spurs this summer, and would even prefer to see Orban depart over his teammate Hugo Cuypers.
Given Gent’s reported valuation of just €30m (£33m), too, it’s a deal that Spurs should be able to fund following the sale of Kane to Bayern Munich for a reported £86m this summer.
As things stand, with the end of the transfer window edging closer and closer, Ange Postecoglou remains without a clinical goalscorer, but Orban is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Should Tottenham Hotspur sign Gift Orban?
To say that replacing club-record goalscorer Kane is no easy task would be an incredible understatement. That said, welcoming 21-year-old Orban would go a long way in filling the gaping hole left behind by Spurs’ star man.
Orban is a player that should only get better, given his age, and the potential that he has so far shown in his relatively young career. Last season, the Gent forward scored 20 goals in 22 games in all competitions to make his mark in Belgium. And if people think that was just a fluke, so far this season, he has found the back of the net a total of six times in six games.
No matter which way you look at it, Orban knows where the back of the net is.
It is his form over the last year that has resulted in several pieces of praise, including from journalist Lolade Adewuyi, who said: “Arrived in Ghent to watch two of the most exciting young Nigerian talents play tonight – Gift Orban for KAA Gent and Victor Boniface of Royale Union Saint Gilloise. The Belgian league is a breeding ground for Nigerian players and these boys are hugely popular here.”
So far, Postecoglou’s Spurs side feel like a fitting next destination for a promising young striker, too, especially with the way they took the game to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side, defeating the Red Devils 2-0 in comfortable fashion.
Add a player like Orban to the side that brushed United aside, and all of a sudden, Spurs could be in with a shout to qualify for the Champions League once more.
Of course, it’s a long season ahead, but replacing Kane could be imperative to how the Lilywhites’ season goes. As the window comes to a close, Spurs could be one of the most interesting sides to watch.
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Spurs: £38m “mercenary” move could repeat Conte disaster
The Lilywhites could be set to replicate their Antonio Conte disaster…
Tottenham Hotspur’s striker search continues despite claiming their first win under Ange Postecoglou, with one recurring name sure to have fans worried…
Who else are Tottenham signing this summer?
With Harry Kane having starred on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, scoring and assisting, the Lilywhites’ clash with Manchester United drew added pressure as they sought to build on their opening-day draw at Brentford.
It’s fair to say that they more than dispelled the frustrations regarding the sale of the England captain, with an emphatic 2-0 win in front of a rampant home crowd.
However, the clash was marred by the underperformance of RIcharlison, whose anonymity has seemingly spurred them back into the market. His 6.4 Sofascore rating was the lowest of any starter from Postecoglou’s side.
As such, Italian outlet Calciomercato even suggested on Friday that they have entered talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.
It is expected that the west London outfit will command a fee of just €45m (£38m) for his services, which marks a monumental loss that the Blues are set to make, given he was signed for £97.5m back in 2021.
How good is Romelu Lukaku?
Whilst there are numerous reasons to avoid the potential acquisition of the hulking Belgian, there is one comparison that can be made which would turn fans away from this swoop.
Despite being contracted to Chelsea, the 30-year-old has most recently spent a year on loan at Inter Milan, having only recently moved to Stamford Bridge from Italy.
Given that Antonio Conte had impressed at the Nerazzuri before joining Spurs, this link will be a frightening reminder of a torrid era and one of the club’s darkest years in recent history.
With their abysmal football aside, it was the Italian’s tendency to lash out in press conferences that truly led to the end of his stay in north London.
The former statement is supported by pundit Danny Murphy, who lambasted his style back in March: “It’s time now. He has been overpaid and underachieved. He hasn’t delivered. They sneaked into the top four last season because Arsenal threw it away. Tottenham have been in the top four many times, so that’s hardly an overachievement.
“They’ve gone out of the League Cup to Forest, FA Cup to Sheffield United, he’s causing chaos at least two or three times a season with his attitude. The football’s generally turgid, and nobody’s enjoying watching it”.
In fact, the sacking of the 54-year-old only came after one such explosive interview, where he took issue with the club, the players and the hierarchy.
One particularly damning quote from that press conference read: “They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment.”
Worryingly, Lukaku has also had a penchant for these outbursts in high-profile settings, first pushing an exit from Everton before lambasting Manchester United years after his exit.
Then, most recently, whilst still employed by Chelsea he admitted he would have preferred to have stayed at the San Siro that summer he made his switch.
It is this history of jumping ship that led to journalist Ben Grounds outlining his reputation as a “mercenary”, as a similar troublemaker to how Conte was.
Even with his off-field antics aside, it could be argued that his best days are way behind him now anyway, with little reason for his purchase.
He only scored ten Serie A goals last season, having been forced out on loan after notching just eight Premier League goals upon his return to west London.
Given how vocal Postecoglou has remained with his admiration for Richarlison, despite his failures in front of goal, there is even less reason to make such a lucrative risk:
“He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does, does not get seen. His pressing, his runs. Sometimes he does not get the ball but he is always making those runs and he is a constant nuisance for defenders. I have said before that I really like Richy”.
With a preference for a hard worker, alongside Lukaku’s similarities with the villainous Conte, there is seemingly little reason to bring in the underwhelming forward.
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