Tottenham decide ‘top priority’ signing for January as they eye £85m star

Tottenham spent more than £300m rebuilding Roberto De Zerbi’s squad during the summer, yet the biggest hole in the team was never properly filled.

Spurs wanted another major forward and made a serious attempt to bring Cody Gakpo to north London.

REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

Liverpool refused to entertain a sale without securing suitable replacements, and the Dutchman eventually remained at Anfield.

Omar Marmoush did arrive from Man City on a season-long loan, including an obligation to buy.

His speed and ability to operate across the front line made him an exciting addition, but he is not the traditional penalty box striker Tottenham still appear to need.

That left Dominic Solanke as De Zerbi’s only specialist number nine.

Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Richarlison was not registered and remains outside the manager’s plans, while most of the other attacking options prefer to operate from wider positions.

The consequences have been clear during a dreadful opening to the season.

Tottenham are bottom of the Premier League after taking only two points from five matches.

They failed to score in their first four league games before Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke found the net during a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa.

Those goals mean none of De Zerbi’s forwards has scored in the league.

A team containing Marmoush, Solanke, Savio, Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel should offer much more, yet Spurs have repeatedly run out of ideas near the penalty area.

That poor return has seemingly convinced Spurs that January cannot pass without another attempt to solve the problem.

Tottenham decide ‘top priority’ signing for January as they eye Pavlidis

Mark Brus reports in the Daily Briefing that signing a striker has now been made a “top priority” for the winter window, with Benfica star Vangelis Pavlidis high on Tottenham’s list.

Spurs have watched the ‘on fire’ Greece international repeatedly while considering a formal approach.

Pavlidis was already considered during the summer, but he remained in Lisbon after Benfica made it clear that he was central to their plans.

The 27-year-old has an £85million release clause in his contract, and that figure would represent another enormous investment after Tottenham’s record-breaking summer, and Benfica would be in a strong position to demand a huge fee midway through the campaign.

Barcelona and Aston Villa have also been credited with interest.

However, reports in Portugal suggest Pavlidis would favour the Premier League if he eventually leaves Benfica, potentially giving Spurs encouragement, even if Barça are also a tempting option for him.

What Pavlidis could bring to Tottenham

Pavlidis is a recognised centre forward who can occupy defenders, link attacks and provide a focal point inside the penalty area, having racked up 14 goals in 13 appearances for Benfica already this season, not to mention 30 strikes in total last term.

Tottenham have plenty of runners and creative players, but they currently lack someone consistently finishing the moves those players create.

The price remains the obvious concern.

Spurs have already committed to buying Marmoush next summer and cannot keep spending heavily without making room in the squad.

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Even so, their alarming start has increased the pressure to act.

Tottenham believed their expensive summer overhaul would move them away from another relegation fight. Instead, they are again looking towards the bottom of the table and preparing for a huge weekend visit to Man United.

January is still almost three months away, but the work on Pavlidis is already well under way.

If Tottenham’s scoring problems continue, that £85 million clause may begin to look less like a warning and more like the cost of fixing their biggest mistake.