Spurs are heading into their biggest transitional period in a decade, if reports are to be believed. Long-serving captain and record goal scorer, Harry Kane, is on the verge of departing for Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich. With their long-serving talisman seemingly prepared to ditch Ange Postecoglu’s new-look side in favour of playing under Thomas Tuchel, it’s little surprise Tottenham Hotspur’s odds to finish in the top four next season have lengthened of late. They’re now priced at 7/2 to qualify for the 2024/25 Champions League with Unibet. This bookie has been going since 1997 and is rated as one of the best due to its coverage of every kick in the biggest domestic leagues like the Premier League. Their traders have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the division.
It seems fair that Tottenham’s top four chances are rated less likely than Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester United, who have all strengthened in recent weeks. On paper, the thought of losing Kane would be catastrophic for Tottenham’s short-term odds, unless Kane’s replacement well and truly hits the ground running.
Speaking of replacements, there’s plenty of conjecture over the identity of Kane’s possible successor to the number-nine jersey at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Below, we run through a quartet of names which have been linked to Spurs since word of Bayern’s interest in Kane came to light.
Randal Kolo Muani
24-year-old Frenchman Kolo Muani is one of the biggest hot-shots in the German Bundesliga. He moved to Eintracht Frankfurt from French Ligue 1 side Nantes, after winning the Coupe de France with Les Canaris. In his debut season with Frankfurt, Kolo Muani hammered home 15 goals in 32 appearances, putting himself firmly on the radar of the Premier League elite.
Having signed a five-year contract with Frankfurt, Kolo Muani is a player who would not come cheap for Spurs. It’s said he would be worth upwards of £80m, which means the Kane transfer fee would likely need fully reinvesting. Reports out of Germany suggest the club is, indeed, prepared to do so.
Ivan Toney
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has said in the past that Spurs were interested in signing Toney from Posh during the summer of 2020. Toney had notched 49 goals in two seasons for Peterborough, but Brentford eventually nipped in to sign him for a deal worth upwards of £10 million.
Spurs scout, David Pleat, is said to have firmly recommended that the Lilywhites sign Toney given that Kane was nursing niggling injuries at the time. Toney has continued to shine in the Premier League with the Bees and could be an option with him returning to competitive action in January 2024.
Jonathan David
Canadian striker Jonathan David is another with huge potential. The 23-year-old shot to stardom during his time with Belgian outfit Gent, averaging a goal every other game and earning a €30m move to Lille. David has averaged almost a goal every other game for the Ligue 1 side too. In his debut season for Lille, David was the talisman for the club’s Ligue 1 title-winning campaign, pipping cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to the trophy.
David has also cut an impressive figure at international level, becoming Canada’s number-one marksman, notching 25 goals in 42 appearances. With a market value of around £60m, it’s possible David could be viewed as a value alternative to Kolo Muani.
Ollie Watkins
If Tottenham are looking for a replacement for Kane with Premier League experience, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins could be a credible option. 27-year-old Watkins signed for Villa from Brentford in 2017 and has notched 40 goals in 109 appearances. His form at Villa Park has been sufficient to earn him an England call-up too.
Watkins bagged 15 league goals in 2022/23, registering six assists too. There are two potential roadblocks for this potential switch, however. First and foremost, Watkins is a boyhood Arsenal fan and may not entertain such a move. Secondly, Villa would almost certainly demand a fee upwards of £40m, which is unlikely to be recouped as he inches closer to ‘the big 3-0’.
One thing is for certain, the Postecoglu era will be very different to that of the Conte, Nuno, Mourinho and Pochettino eras with Tottenham’s frontline likely to have a very different dynamic.
