Is Rodrigo Muniz a masterstroke in the making or just Premier League inflation? – Opinion

The North Londoners have been looking to bring in another striker at Hotspur Way in the ongoing summer transfer window, and this is the second season in a row where Daniel Levy is looking to compound on signing a marquee number nine after Dominic Solanke’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the last offseason. And now the Lilywhites are looking to sign Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz before the start of the next campaign.

The North Londoners have been linked with a move to sign Muniz in the ongoing window where they are competing with the likes of Leeds United for his signature. The English top-tier returning club had a £32m bid rejected for his signature, with the London side holding onto a £50m price tag.

Given his purple patch at Craven Cottage in the previous campaign, the Brazilian striker has been one of the hot prospects of the ongoing summer given how he has been raising eyebrows with his physical development, his goal-scoring return and the intensity that he has been putting into his presses.

But when his reported price tag starts pushing beyond £40 million, I am forced to think whether bringing him to Hotspur Way is truly going to evolve into a transformative signing or if Muniz is just in the right place at the right time.

Why could Muniz end up being a masterstroke?

Given that he has been playing under Marco Silva at Fulham, the Brazilian has become one of the most active pressers in the English top tier, and given how he combines those smart body angles with relentless work rate, he could end up being ideal for a coach like Thomas Frank, who likes to have defensive triggers in his front line. In a system where pressing structure matters, Andy gives you that vertical intensity from the front.

Now, Muniz is not someone who is flashy in buildup phases, but then he is really good when you ask him to make those fast darting runs into the box or ask him to anticipate second balls. He is good at smelling those loose moments in the 18-yard area as well.

Low-key I think that he is very similar to the likes of players that Frank has been working with at Brentford (somewhere along the Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay lines).

And what matters the most is that, unlike other forwards that the North Londoners are targeting outside of the Premier League, there is still that uncertainty about them coming into the English top tier, while Muniz has shown he can score, hold the ball, and compete physically in the Premiership.

Especially considering his form of late, he did show that if he were to be given consistent minutes and confidence, then he can deliver the needed goods.

Or is Muniz just another inflated singer?

Now with Muniz, he has had purple patches in short stretches, and if we start looking at numbers, his career total for Fulham sits at just 17 PL goals, and then you consider how he has often been struggling with form and fitness every now and then. Then comes the fact that he doesn’t always find himself to be of tactical relevance when not in peak rhythm. And paying a marquee £50m for someone who has had just some hot streaks over the short term seems sketchy to me.

And then let’s get into the creative side of things: Muniz is not someone who is creative as a number nine, given that he won’t link play or rotate into half-spaces like Richarlison at his best or Mohammed Kudus (who is a target at Tottenham anyways). And if we are speaking about Thomas Frank’s system, the Dane likes to deploy a rotational and fluid attacking structure where suddenly Muniz may end up finding himself with limited attacking diversity (unless you then end up pairing him with a more dynamic second forward).

Then, unlike Ivan Toney, who, when playing under Thomas Frank, used to do a few things given he dropped while linking the play and created as well, or even if we are speaking about Bryan Mbeumo (who can drift wide or centrally), Muniz is largely a central nine, which makes it easier for him to shut down in games where the midfield gets isolated or when full-backs aren’t providing service.

Can Muniz fit at Tottenham under Frank?

If Thomas Frank is aiming to recreate that Toney-Mbeumo duo upfront, then Muniz could be the battering ram, with someone like Mathys Tel or Mohammed Kudus operating off him. But then he would need to pin the centre-backs whilst ensuring that he is opening spaces for other dynamic wide forwards (the likes of Brennan and Kulusevski).

But if Levy is looking to bring in someone who has that capacity to rotate whilst combining in fluid front threes, or even act as a false nine, Muniz will not be an ideal option.

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Author Opinion

The Fulham forward can be a smart tactical fit in a pressing 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 with support around him, but I don’t think that he is your system-defining forward. If Tottenham are paying somewhere along £25–30m for his signature, then it is something that I can understand, but if Fulham start demanding closer to £50m, I think you start to go into that “Premier League tax” territory.