Considering a new manager was appointed and they lost their most important player, Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur have had an excellent start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
The Lilywhites currently sit in fifth place after 16 matches, picking up 30 points and nine wins. The latest of those came last weekend against Newcastle, as they swept the Magpies aside with a 4-1 victory.
Each of Ange Postecoglou’s signings since he was appointed as Spurs’ manager have been a hit, yet the Australian is keen to add another attacker to his squad.
Spurs transfer latest – Ivan Toney
According to the Mirror, Postecoglou has his eye on a handful of players this winter, ranging from centre backs to strikers. A name that features on that list is Brentford star Ivan Toney.
Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in the forward, who is open to leaving the Bees, but his club is hopeful of keeping hold of him until the summer.
The 27-year-old has a market value of £30m according to Transfermarkt, but Brentford are reportedly only willing to accept £100m this winter.
The stats that show Ivan Toney would be Ange’s best signing yet
Toney proved to be one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League last season, scoring 20 goals in 33 starts for a mid-table club, and you can just imagine the impact he would have in a side with creativity in abundance like Spurs.
Despite Heung-min Son performing brilliantly as a makeshift centre forward – scoring ten league goals this season – Spurs must sign a replacement for Kane, who left for Bayern Munich in the summer, and there isn’t a better striker available than Toney, who has been described as “like Harry Kane” by England star Declan Rice.
Although Toney doesn’t get near Kane’s playmaking and passing ability from a statistical perspective, it is important to take the team they played for into context. But based on the statistics below, it is clear that the number 17 is a true number nine and this is how he compares to Kane.
Goals
0.61
0.79
xG
0.57
0.57
Shots total
2.65
3.28
Shot creating actions from fouls drawn
0.43
0.32
Passes into final third
1.65
2.64
Postecoglou currently doesn’t have the facilities to field an instinctive finisher who has played solely as a striker throughout their career, and signing Toney could elevate Spurs to the next level.
Son, Pedro Porro, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski are all creative monsters, boasting at least six big chances created each this season, and when you combine that with Toney’s movement and box presence, you would fancy Spurs to cause havoc in attack against any team in Europe.
However, it is important to note that Toney would bring much more than just goals to the table, as he would also provide physicality to the attack and make the Lilywhites much more dangerous from set pieces. His work rate off the ball is also excellent, and he would slot right into the high-pressing, relentless Spurs side.
Unfortunately for the new boss, Kane would have been the final piece to the puzzle this season, but Toney definitely has the potential to get close to the ex-captain's output. Even though Maddison has hit the ground running, the Brentford man could just become the best signing of the Ange era so far.
