Tottenham Hotspur had been looking to bring in a forward all summer long, with the North Londoners linked with a move for multiple strikers in the past weeks, with nothing really materialising till the deadline day, when Daniel Levy turned to French striker Kolo Muani and ended up securing his signature.
The Lilywhites yesterday announced his arrival on a loan deal from PSG as Thomas Frank adds some much-needed depth to his roster.
Tottenham have had a long-standing interest in signing the 26-year-old centre forward, given how the Premier League heavyweights were aggressively linked for his services in the winter transfer window earlier this year when Ange Postecoglou was still in charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way. And while nothing materialised then, this post-Ange era is already shaping up to be bold at N17 as incoming manager Thomas Frank looks to take this team towards a more structured, balanced and pragmatic way of playing, and he would be looking to give Muani all the needed tools to succeed donning the Spurs badge.
Kolo Muani is someone who complements the roster at N17
We all have an established understanding that Kolo Muani isn’t Harry Kane 2.0 despite the shiny new toy syndrome, and he is not Son Heung-min either. But then he is someone who has that capacity to knit together the attacking playing style that Thomas Frank is looking to implement at Hotspur Way.
The Frenchman brings that mobility in the final third and is also selfless and quick when it comes to transition situations (which suits the Danish head coach’s playing style quite nicely). We have seen him thrive when deployed in systems that lean on fluid front lines.
If we go back to his Eintracht Frankfurt days, the now 26-year-old looked most dangerous when he was drifting wide and dragging centre halves in the process of doing so. This ends up leaving the opponents’ defensive line in uncomfortable positions, which ends up opening space for others.
But then once he signed for PSG, Muani was forced to play in a more rigid role where he looked constrained, and that is where his goal contribution dried up.
And knowing Frank, he has always liked to play with forwards who work for the collective, so if we look at his Brentford team, the likes of Wissa and Ivan Toney weren’t just poaching players, but they were used in more varied roles (a target, a presser, and a facilitator), and Kolo Muani could occupy a similar role at Tottenham but with more dynamism in the channels (given his obvious strengths).
Muani doesn’t need to be the reference point that Tottenham supporters have been looking for since Kane, but he can surely be the chaotic presence that unsettles defences.
How can Muani fit in at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
We know Thomas Frank to deploy sides that press with purpose but not recklessness, and we have already seen how Tottenham playing under him are not chasing shadows the way we saw the North Londoners do under Ange’s all-out aggression. And this is where Kolo Muani comes alive.
The 26-year-old French striker has that ability to engage defenders high up the pitch and recover possession in advanced areas; this immediately ends up helping attacking sources, which fits perfectly given the Danish head coach’s emphasis on controlled pressing triggers.
With Muani, he is also really good with his link-up play. The current roster has a lot of technicians who have the capacity to pick runners ahead of them, and Kolo Muani thrives off those cues given how good he is at making those darting diagonal runs between the defenders and turning good possession into clear chances.
Muani was always a risk worth taking for Tottenham
We know how Tottenham are thinking about long-term direction under Thomas Frank, but while ensuring immediate results in the league and in Europe and bringing in Muani shows this statement of intent, given that Tottenham have brought in someone who has the capacity to elevate others and give you a different tactical dimension. Now he is surely not someone who is going to give you 30 goals a season, but he could be the glue that makes this new structure at N17 sing.