Maghnes Akliouche clearly gave Tottenham players a tough time during AS Monaco’s Champions League clash
Tottenham managed to end the summer on a high after securing the signings of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani in the final week of the transfer window. The Lilywhites prioritised bringing in attacking reinforcements in the summer as they looked to build on last season’s Europa League success. Landing Kolo Muani on deadline day marked an end for an eventful summer for the North London club.
Spurs encountered several setbacks in the market while searching for a creative attacker to replace James Maddison, who suffered an ACL injury. The club activated Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60 million release clause, only for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to intervene and block the deal at the last moment. To make matters worse, Tottenham’s proposed move for Eberechi Eze was hijacked by Arsenal in the final hours of the window.
The Lilywhites then turned their attention to AS Monaco talent Maghnes Akliouche. The French international was heavily linked with a move to N17, and Monaco were reportedly open to selling him for a fee of around €47.5 million. However, Spurs decided to walk away from the deal due to the price tag, leaving the 23-year-old to remain in Monte Carlo, at least for the time being.
Tottenham must reignite their interest in AS Monaco attacker Maghnes Akliouche
Tottenham still lack creativity in the final third and desperately need a player capable of addressing that issue in the second half of the season. At present, Mohammed Kudus is the only attacker consistently making an impact up front. It goes without saying that the Lilywhites must add more depth in attack so that the creative and scoring responsibilities are shared more evenly across the squad going forward.
Alasdair Gold has urged Spurs to test the waters for AS Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche in the winter, particularly after an impressive display against the Lilywhites in the Champions League last week. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Gold said,
“We did get a look at Maghnes Akliouche, and he is some player. If Spurs can somehow, you know, they got interest in him, if they could do something and get him in the future, I think he would be absolutely brilliant. That’s exactly the kind of player they need right now with the imagination to try things.”
As Gold rightly pointed out, Tottenham would take a major step toward closing the gap on their rivals if they managed to sign Akliouche in the winter. The 23-year-old was the standout performer for Monaco in their Champions League clash with Spurs, and he perfectly fits the creative profile Thomas Frank’s side are searching for ahead of the January window.
Akliouche was reportedly “flattered” by Tottenham’s interest during the summer, having long dreamed of playing in the Premier League. For now, though, the French international will look to continue his fine form at Monaco after recording two goals and an assist in his first seven Ligue 1 appearances. If he maintains this level of performance and continues to influence games in the final third, it may only be a matter of time before Spurs renew their pursuit of his signature.