Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi ahead of the summer window, and the 21-year-old’s profile raises a question that Spurs fans have been asking since last summer: who fills the void left by Heung-min Son?
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed that both Tottenham and Arsenal have made contact over Tresoldi, who has scored 17 goals and contributed five assists in 48 appearances this season for Club Brugge. Arsenal went a step further with a formal enquiry, while Spurs are currently monitoring the situation.
Club Brugge are willing to cash in for around €25-30m, making this one of the more affordable and compelling transfer stories developing ahead of the summer.
Why the Nicolo Tresoldi and Son Heung-min comparison matters for Tottenham
It is worth being clear upfront: Tresoldi is not a direct Son replacement. They are different players in different positions. Son, who left Tottenham for LAFC last summer after over a decade at the club, was a versatile, technically brilliant winger who could play across the front line, invert off the left and consistently produce at the highest level. Tresoldi is a more traditional centre-forward, a classic No. 9 with strong positional instincts, aerial ability and a poacher’s instinct for the ball in the box.
But the comparison is still worth exploring, because what connects them is what Tottenham need. Both are athletic, mobile forwards known for pressing intensity, intelligent movement and a direct goal threat. Neither is a static, hold-up target man. Both are the type of forward who gets in behind, works the channels and makes life genuinely difficult for defenders with their movement rather than just their physicality. In that sense, the spirit of what Son offered Spurs is present in Tresoldi’s game, even if the technical execution is different.
Where Son had superior technical flair, dribbling ability and two-footed quality, Tresoldi is still developing those areas of his game. His link-up play, decision-making in tight areas and consistency across a full season are the parts of his game that scouts will want to assess more closely.
He joined Club Brugge from Hannover last summer for just €6m, which makes his current valuation of €25-30m a remarkable turnaround, but it also means there is a genuine question about how much of his output is a product of Belgian football rather than elite-level competition.
The Champions League answers that question, at least partially. Tresoldi scored against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Monaco across ten European appearances this season. That is not a player who is performing only against limited opposition.
What would Nicolo Tresoldi give Tottenham that they currently lack?
Roberto De Zerbi’s system demands forwards who press aggressively, move intelligently without the ball and contribute to the structure as much as they contribute to the final product. Randal Kolo Muani is not expected to stay beyond his loan, Richarlison‘s future is uncertain and Dominic Solanke has been hampered by injury yet again. There is a real gap in the Spurs attack that needs addressing this summer, and Tresoldi at €25-30m represents the kind of low-risk, high-ceiling investment that suits where the club currently sits.
The honest answer is that Son was one of a kind at Tottenham. No one signing is going to replicate what he gave the club over ten years. But in Tresoldi, there is at least a forward whose movement, work ethic and goal threat carries some of the same energy. At 21, with his best years ahead of him and a price tag that would not break the bank, he is exactly the type of player De Zerbi should be building around.
The challenge is Arsenal, who have moved first with their enquiry. On current form, the Gunners are a significantly more attractive destination for a player of Tresoldi’s age and ambition.
Whether Tottenham’s project under De Zerbi is compelling enough to compete is the real question this summer.
