After failing to win any of their last five matches prior to last weekend, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur earned a much-needed 4-1 victory over Newcastle United, ensuring that the early season feel-good factor has momentarily returned.
Losing record goal scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer hasn’t had such a drastic impact as everyone expected, which is a testament to the Australian’s man management and tactical approach, getting the best out of Heung-min Son in particular.
With James Maddison and Manor Soloman out, and Spurs lacking in attacking options, they are looking to buy a true striker, with the role currently being occupied by the South Korean and at times, Richarlison.
Tottenham transfers latest – Lois Openda
Even though the forward only moved to RB Leipzig in the summer, Lois Openda’s performances have piqued the interest of numerous big clubs, including Spurs according to the Mirror.
The Belgian’s value is thought to be around £75m and the Lilywhites want to make the centre-forward role much more competitive.
Manchester United are also reportedly interested in signing the Leipzig striker who scored a brace at the Etihad in the Champions League last month.
Lois Openda’s style of play
Openda is known for his speed and acceleration, which has been described as “terrifying” by European football writer, Seb Stafford-Bloor. The 23-year-old has exploded on the Bundesliga and European stage in his first season, scoring ten goals in the league in 14 appearances and four in five in the UEFA Champions League.
Based on the Belgium internationals FBref scouting report, it is clear that Openda thrives in front of goal, but not necessarily in build-up or in possession. The table below serves as evidence for this.
Shots
4.32
Top 14%
Goals
0.83
Top 14%
Passes completed
9.81
Bottom 2%
Key passes
1.33
Top 34%
Touches
27.59
Bottom 6%
As you can see, the ex-Vitesse forward is the definition of a true finisher, with elite box movement that is reminiscent of Kane, who Openda loves and has clearly modelled aspects of his game on.
Indeed, speaking about the former Spurs star, the forward stated: "Harry Kane is one of the best in the world. He’s better than me. But that’s exactly what drives me – I want to be at his level one day."
All of the forward's goals this season have been scored within the penalty box, which would potentially benefit Tottenham's current captain. Indeed, it would give Son the freedom to create and find the attacker in a similar fashion to the first two goals that Spurs scored last weekend.
The Lilywhites’ captain would feature off the left rather than the central role he has been deployed in so far this season, but Postecoglou’s approach is fluid with positions prioritised over personnel in the role.
His pace and threat on the counterattack with Son and Maddison feeding him would be one of the deadliest combinations in the Premier League, especially when you add that to the fact that he can score with both feet. The number 17 will bring energy and a suffocating press to Spurs’ attack, as well as a constant out ball, as shown by the 8.56 passes received per game this season – a stat that ranks him within the best 6% in Europe. He certainly knows where to be – good news for the creative players at Spurs.
To briefly summarise, Openda could well be a season-changing signing for Spurs.
