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It’s officially matchweek for Tottenham Hotspur, but the transfer window is still open for another month. Spurs aren’t done with their business by a long shot, even though there are problems regarding the squad and how it has to be managed.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Spurs have been pretty clear that they want to bring in a backup striker to spell Harry Kane when needed. The schedule is absolutely brutal with the late start as Spurs will have numerous weeks with more than one match. We’ve heard the likes of Joshua King and Callum Wilson whispered online, but today our old friend Alisdair Gold dropped this in the early hours:
I understand Spurs do have the money to sign a new striker but need to raise funds for other signings and Habib Diallo of Metz is one of the strikers they're looking at. Here's a big Spurs state of the transfer window piece, on exits, incomings and more. https://t.co/0Iw6joDtje
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) September 5, 2020
Habib Diallo is 25 years old and plays for FC Metz in Ligue 1. Let’s get his radar out of the way before we talk about the complications regarding Diallo:
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There’s no sugar-coating involved with FC Metz last season: Their finishing was atrocious. They scored an abysmal 27 goals in their 28 league matches before COVID-19 put an end to the Ligue 1 season. Diallo was one of the bright spots as he either scored or assisted on 15 of those 27 goals. In the 18-19 season, he grabbed 26 goals and six assists while helping Metz win the Ligue 2 title.
There are some good things regarding Diallo as he creates decent chances and isn’t a bad dribbler. He’s also a big body, listed at 6’1”, and has good mobility from the film I’ve watched. This is probably the best collection of highlights from him that I found below from YouTube creator ZA45 Futbol.
Diallo probably wouldn’t cost much more than £10m, if that. He has two years remaining on his deal and a jump from FC Metz to Tottenham Hotspur has to look quite attractive for the Senegalese striker. The complication is that Spurs have to sell someone in order to make room for him.
Squad rules require that Spurs have no more than 17 foreign players, which they are maxed out at. We know that AC Milan have interest in Serge Aurier, but the clubs are about £5m apart in valuation as Daniel Levy is holding out for £20m. Juan Foyth isn’t expected to stick around but links with the Argentine defender have been few in number. Freeing up a couple of foreign slots is now paramount if Spurs are going to look at non-homegrown talent to bolster the squad. This is why King and Wilson have been linked heavily as they both count as homegrown players, which Spurs currently have six after the additions of Joe Hart and Matt Doherty.
This is one to keep an eye on. This window sure isn’t the sexiest when it comes to star power, but Spurs are looking to fill the slots that are needed. They’re just stuck in neutral at this point until a sale or two goes through. If Gold is reporting this, the club are obviously interested.