It might be something of an understatement to say that this season hasn’t gone quite how the Tottenham Hotspur faithful would have hoped back in August.
Yet, while they sit 16th in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou’s side are in with a real chance to lift the Europa League, although before they can think about that, they need to secure passage to the final by keeping or extending their two-goal advantage away to FK Bodø/Glimt on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, they will be without James Maddison, and as things stand, Dominic Solanke could also be set to miss out.
While he’s been effective here and there, the club-record signing has not blown anyone away this season, and that might explain recent reports linking the team to a new centre-forward, who may well be an upgrade on the Englishman.
Tottenham's striker search
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other strikers linked with Spurs in recent months, such as Daizen Maeda and Jonathan David.
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The former may spend a lot of time on the wing, but he’s no stranger to playing down the middle, and with a tally of 45 goal involvements this season and a potential price tag of £25m, he could be an incredible signing.
The latter has racked up a sensational haul of 25 goals and 12 assists in 47 games this season and, thanks to his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, will be available on a free.
However, another international striker has now caught the attention of Daniel Levy and Co: Tim Kleindienst.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in signing the German forward this summer.
In fact, the report claims that the Lilywhites are now ready to pay up to £30m for the goalscorer, but so are West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton.
Moreover, AC Milan, AS Roma, and Bayern Munich are also keeping close tabs on the Bourrusia Mönchengladbach star.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but it’s one worth fighting for, especially as Kleindienst could be a big upgrade on Solanke.
How Kleindienst compares to Solanke
So, if Spurs are going to go out, get ahead of the competition and splash the cash on Kleindienst, would he come straight into the starting lineup?
Well, when we compare him to Solanke, as he’d be his main competitor, the answer is a pretty resounding yes.
For example, when it comes to the pair’s raw output from this season, which is, of course, the most important metric for a striker, it’s the German who comes out comfortably on top.
In just 32 appearances for Mönchengladbach, totalling 2835 minutes, the “remarkable” 29-year-old, as dubbed by ESPN reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, has scored 16 goals and provided ten assists.
In other words, the Jüterbog-born poacher is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.23 games, or every 109.03 minutes.
Appearnaces
32
41
Minutes
2835′
3131′
Goals
16
14
Assists
10
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.81
0.53
Minutes per Goal Involvement
109.03′
142.31′
In contrast, the North Londoner’s record signing has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 41 appearances, totalling 3131 minutes.
That means the Englishman is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.86 games, or every 142.31 minutes, and while that isn’t bad, it is noticeably worse than his potential competitor.
Furthermore, while the former FC Heidenheim ace has scored four goals and provided one assist in his six senior caps for Germany, the former Bournemouth striker has no goals or assists to his name in three caps.
Ultimately, while Solanke has been a useful player for Spurs so far, it’s clear that Kleindienst is the better goalscorer, and therefore, Levy and Co should go out and sign him this summer.
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