Tottenham Hotspur eyeing swoop for Mainz striker Jean-Philippe Mateta
According to Italian publication, as relayed by ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign 1. FSV Mainz 05 centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta ahead of the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old Mateta came through the youth ranks at French club Le Chateauroux and made 27 senior appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals. His impressive start prompted Olympique Lyon to sign him in 2016 but he failed to make the grade at the club and after a season-long loan at Le Havre, he joined Mainz in 2018.
Since joining the Bundesliga outfit, Mateta has impressed heavily, racking up a tally of 27 goals and 5 assists from 63 appearances so far. The 23-year-old has been in sizzling form in the 2020/21 season, having already netted 10 goals from 9 matches across all competitions. (h/t Transfermarkt)
And this has seemingly put him on the radars of Tottenham Hotspur, while Serie A outfit Napoli are also understood to be in the race for the Frenchman. (h/t ESPN)
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho strengthened the attacking department in the summer with the signings of Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius, both on loan. While the former is an option on the flanks, the latter provides cover for Harry Kane in the centre-forward slot.
However, Vinicius hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities of yet with Mourinho admitting that the Brazilian is finding it difficult to adapt to new conditions. With the situation as it is, adding another striker to the ranks would be a smart move, especially if we are to push for the Premier League title and challenge for trophies in other competitions.
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And Mateta, given his age and form, would be a fine addition to the Tottenham squad. However, convincing him to move to a club where he would be playing second-fiddle to another striker, i.e., Kane, could prove to be challenging.
