Spurs held internal talks to sign £87m “powerhouse”

Tottenham Hotspur made a rather bold decision in the summer when they decided to part ways with Ange Postecoglou after winning the Europa League Cup at the end of last season.

The Lilywhites ended a two-decade drought, but it was not enough to keep the Australian coach in charge in north London.

They have opted to go with Thomas Frank, who was poached from Premier League side Brentford, to replace Postecoglou in the dugout, and he has had an impressive start to life at the club.

The Danish coach led his side to a 3-0 win away to Everton in the championship on Sunday, leaving Tottenham 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 the three points for the Lillywhites on Merseyside, but it was not a perfect performance.

For example, the Spurs coach may not have been entirely happy with the performance of his No.9, as Randall Kolo Mwani struggled.

Why Spurs need more from Randall Kolo Mwani

The Lilywhites need to get more out of their summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, as his performance against Everton was a bit worrying.

In his defence, this was his first Premier League game and only his second in the league for Tottenham. However, he lost seven of his eight duels and had four unsuccessful touches out of a total of 15, according to Sofascore, showing that the striker struggled on and off the ball.

Kolo Mwani needed to provide more outlets in the ninth to take the pressure off his side at times, as the home side pressed for a goal but were unable to get past the impressive Guglielmo Vicario, and failed to do so, with James Tarkowski and Michael Keane finding it too easy to get past.

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

As you can see in the table above, Kolo Mwani’s performances have been poor and he has only scored eight goals in 36 Ligue 1 appearances for the French giants.

However, he scored eight goals in 16 Serie A matches on loan for Juventus in the second half of last season, along with two goals in three Club World Cup matches, according to Sofascore.

As Tottenham look for more from their striker and hope he can channel the form he showed for Juventus, the club are said to be eyeing a striker who would be an immediate upgrade.

Tottenham held talks to sign a new striker

According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs interested in signing Porto striker Samu Aguehua in the January transfer window.

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

He adds that Porto have a release clause of 100 million euros, which is around 87 million pounds sterling, in the top scorer’s contract at the club, and they are not willing to let him leave for less than that number.

CaughtOffside adds that Tottenham have held internal talks about the possibility of a short-term loan, for the second half of the season, with an option to make it permanent next summer, but the £87m valuation represents a barrier at this time.

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

Why should Tottenham sign Samo in January?

Tottenham should rush to sign the Porto striker before the second half of the season as he could come as an immediate upgrade over Kolo Mwani.

As previously mentioned, the France international’s inconsistent form with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain suggests there is no guarantee that he will improve his form and become a star for Frank in the next couple of months before the January window.

This means the Lilywhites could come into January knowing they need a consistent and prolific striker who can score 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 find great success as a lethal goalscorer for Frank, having scored five goals in seven league games this season, according to Sofascore.

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

As you can see in the table above, the former Atletico Madrid player outperformed Kolo Mwani at league level last season, scoring nine goals and one assist in just four other matches.

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

This suggests he would come as an immediate upgrade over Kolo Mwani, while also solving a glaring problem for Spurs, as the centre-back is the club’s 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 at the top of the pitch for Frank, while it remains to be seen which side Kolo Mwani will settle in in north London.

Therefore, Tottenham should look to seal a deal for the Spanish striker when the January transfer window opens, whether that is an initial loan or a straight permanent move.