Alderweireld urges Tottenham to sign ‘this’ striker before the window shuts.
Former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld has publicly urged his old club to sign Victor Osimhen, framing the former Napoli forward’s proven goalscoring record as exactly what Tottenham have been missing since Harry Kane’s departure in 2023
The comments arrive amid genuine, if slow-moving, interest from Tottenham’s end. Spurs had already lodged a £55m approach for the Nigerian, who finished last season as Galatasaray’s leading scorer with 22 goals in 33 appearances, but the Turkish club are holding out for closer to £65m. Arsenal have also been credited with interest, adding competitive pressure to a situation that Alderweireld clearly feels Tottenham cannot afford to let drag on. Here is what he had to say via Football London.
“Spurs aren’t the only club that could use a striker like Victor Osimhen but they need his goals because it’s what they lacked last season as well.”
“The only concern for clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United is maybe his age. He’s not the youngest player anymore and it seems like everyone wants to find a 23-year-old superstar who can bang in goals for the next seven or eight years, and I understand that, but you also need a good mix.”
Need to get a solid #9
Where this gets complicated is context. Osimhen is not currently Tottenham’s most advanced attacking pursuit. Both Cody Gakpo and Savinho have already agreed personal terms, with Tottenham simply waiting on Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, to sanction their exits, and De Zerbi has said he expects at least two more signings before deadline day. Osimhen would represent a third or fourth attacking addition on top of that, an enormous outlay even by the standards of a summer that has already seen Tottenham spend well over £200m.
Alderweireld’s underlying point still lands, though. Tottenham have cycled through Richarlison and Dominic Solanke since Kane left without finding a genuinely prolific centre-forward, and both now look increasingly likely to leave rather than come across as the long-term answer.
If Gakpo and Savinho arrive to fix the wide areas, a proven number nine remains the one gap in De Zerbi’s rebuild. Whether Tottenham stretch to Galatasaray’s asking price for Osimhen specifically is one thing. That they need somebody of his profile is harder to argue with.
Let’s see what happens before the end of the window, though. There always remains room for surprises. Whether or not this is among the surprises is something only time will tell.