With just 11 days left to go before our beloved Premier League returns to our screens here in the Football Transfer Tavern, the punters are understandably getting excited.
Nevertheless, a few of our Tottenham regulars are wondering just when Mauricio Pochettino is going to be bringing striking reinforcements into White Hart Lane.
In truth, available strikers are a rare commodity this summer and with the options dwindling by the day at the moment, everybody connected with Spurs knows options are running out ahead of the new season.
While the transfer window is open until the end of August of course, right now it looks as if few noteworthy options are around to compliment the goals of Harry Kane but one man who’s been talked about is West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino.
An up-and-coming star in the Premier League, most Spurs fans would take the Baggies star right now but today, the England Under-21 international has been warned off a move to Spurs by former Albion boss Alan Irvine who has claimed Berahino is not ready for a move to a club such as Tottenham.
Scoring 14 Premier League goals last term, it appears Berahino is on the rise but after his public claim that suggested he could do better than Albion last term, perhaps those around him will convince him to keep his feet on the ground while continuing his education at The Hawthorns for now.
If Berahino does opt to take Irvine’s advice, Tottenham will need to have yet another rethink and that’s why we’ve devised five alternatives to the Baggies forward for Spurs to consider.
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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 Saido Berahino alternatives for Tottenham to consider this summer.
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Callum Wilson
As mentioned at the outset, with striking targets dwindling by the day, perhaps Tottenham will need to think outside the box while choosing an option from the left-field.
One man of this variety who was linked with Spurs back in May by The Mirror was AFC Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson who scored 20 goals for the Cherries in an unforgettable promotion campaign.
While some of our Spurs fans are rolling their eyes at this selection claiming he’s not a big enough name for the club, at the same time Mauricio Pochettino is a firm believer in youth.
At present, Wilson is one of those strikers who everybody believes will struggle to adjust to the step up to the Premier League but if he continues his hot vein of form in front of goal, you can imagine the pounds that’ll be added to his price tag while Spurs fans will regret they didn’t force the Cherries’ hand in the market.
Eddie Howe will of course not want to sell his star striker so close to the new campaign kicking off but if there’s any hint of truth in The Mirror’s story, perhaps £12 million will be too good for a club the size of Bournemouth to turn down.
Fernando Llorente
At present, it seems one of the best available striking options to gamble on in the transfer market is Juventus’ Fernando Llorente.
Surplus to requirements in Turin after Massimiliano Allegri brought both Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala to the club this summer, Llorente has been a long-term target of Spurs.
Right now, it is not actually Tottenham but rather their North London foes Arsenal who are considered favourites for his signature however with the Daily Star going as far to claim a deal could be done in the next week.
However, with Arsene Wenger rarely opting to sign players who are 30, we think these rumours are rubbish while a move to a club that’s admired him for so long in Spurs looks a far more believable prospect.
Charlie Austin
Don’t you find it strange that all of the transfer speculation surrounding Charlie Austin has died down of late?
Similarly to Danny Ings last term, Charlie Austin managed to handle the step up to the Premier League while striking an incredibly impressive 18 goals in his first season at that level despite the R’s subsequent relegation.
Austin looks a perfect kind of signing for Spurs who is the right age and has proved he can bag goals at Premier League level against an entire range of opposition.
With the league season now just days away, we certainly think Pochettino should be lumping a large fee on Austin to force QPR’s hand.
Apparently Rangers are asking for as much as £15 million for Austin’s services but with Christian Benteke having just signed for Liverpool for £32.5 million, we reckon Daniel Levy should just swallow it and pay what QPR want for their prized asset.
Michy Batshuayi
Tottenham fans haven’t received much concrete news regarding the potential signing of Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi since Metro claimed Spurs were lining up a £9 million swoop back on July 14th but they could be working hard to get this one done behind the scenes.
Batshuayi struck nine goals in 23 appearances in his debut season with the Ligue 1 giants last term and while he isn’t Alexandre Lacazette for example, there is clearly some promise in the Belgian international striker.
The striker has been linked with a Tottenham switch of late by multiple publications who suggest the focus has now been switched to the Belgian following Spurs being priced out of a move for his international compatriot Christian Benteke.
Alexandre Pato
I suppose this selection comes down to whether you’re a nostalgic kind of Tottenham fan or whether you’re matter of fact.
Make no mistake; when Alexandre Pato was breaking onto the scene with AC Milan back in 2007, he looked an absolute world beater who was destined for a prolonged spell at the very pinnacle of European football.
But his fall from grace has been just as dramatic as Fernando Torres’ with Pato now back in his Brazilian homeland with his tail between his legs.
Currently on loan at Sao Paulo from Corinthians, Pato is reportedly eyeing a return to Europe this summer and while the likes of West Ham United and Crystal Palace have been linked with his signature, with the options running out, we wonder whether Tottenham should register an interest.
Good idea or not Spurs fans? After all, he’d only prove a back-up option to Harry Kane anyway!
