How Spurs could complete their own Vinicius Junior-like signing

Over in north London, it is safe to say that both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal could do with improving their forward line.

While the Gunners won the Premier League last season, much to the distaste of those at Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi’s side were instead celebrating merely staying in the division come the final day of the campaign.

Supporters jumped for joy inside of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but really, it was a sign of relief.

Truthfully, on their way to winning the title, Arsenal struggled, notably relying on 19 corners to score goals from, a new Premier League record.

Spurs did not rely on set-pieces but they must be wishing they had. After all, their forward line struggled too but that was predominantly due to several injuries.

How Roberto De Zerbi’s attack could shape up at Spurs

This summer has very much been about improving in defence and midfield for the Lilywhites so far. Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke have arrived at the back while the club record additions of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali have been welcomed into midfield.

There is work to be done in attack, however. Last term, they scored just 48 goals in the league, just two more than relegated West Ham and fewer than the likes of Leeds and Newcastle who also finished in the bottom half.

Now, had Spurs not been riddled with injury, it is unlikely they would have finished 17th. Even so, they were not good enough.

Dominic Solanke missed about half of the season and only bagged six times in 20 outings. New signings Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons also ended the campaign on the treatment table.

We will not see Simons anytime soon due to a cruel ACL injury but on paper, the thought of Kudus and Solanke playing together is an exciting one. It was something we did not see enough of last term. Couple that with the returning James Maddison too, and things being to look rosier under De Zerbi.

Kudus is a versatile figure and could well play through the middle or off the left, particularly if they sign Savinho from Manchester City as is widely expected.

A dynamic threat off the right, he would offer plenty of creativity to the forward line, notably picking up as many as 13 assists in 2024/25, his debut year at City.

With the Brazilian, Maddison and Kudus operating behind the striker, whoever is playing at centre-forward would have a rich source of playmakers to feed off. Surely there are goals in this team?

That said, is Solanke the man or is there somebody else?

Spurs could replace Solanke with their own Vinicius Junior

For understandable reasons, the talk of the town right now in north London is Brazilian superstar Vinicius Junior.

Reuters/Vincent Carchietta

Arsenal are exploring a move for the Real Madrid icon in a deal that would not just be one of the most exciting moves this summer, but quite possibly also one of the biggest deals in Premier League history.

A British-record £136m is the mooted figure and that’s without considering all of the wages, bonuses and add-ons involved too.

It would be a truly transformative signing for the Gunners but how could Spurs replicate it? Well, given where they finished in the league last season, they are never going to be able to sign a player of Vini’s calibre. It was a coup to land Tonali and Fernandes but the Brazil hero is on another level.

They could, however, sign Eli Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth. Reports coming out of Spurs indicate they are ready to make a “proper move” for the player in the coming weeks as they go about strengthing their frontline.

Now, of course, he is not of the same quality as Vini but like if Arsenal were to sign the Madrid forward, a move for the Cherries star could be totally transformative for Spurs.

Why? Well, it feels like the one big missing piece of the jigsaw is that centre-forward position. Solanke has struggled after being tasked with replacing Harry Kane but Kroupi is a player who is unlikely to suffer from the pressure of expectations. He is the game-changer that De Zerbi needs to really take Tottenham to the next level.

When Vini was a teenager and first making his name in European football, he was regularly billed as one of the most exciting young players around. He was touted to be “the next Neymar” back in 2018 by The Guardian.

It would be fair to say he has more than lived up to that billing. He has gone from being a genuine wonderkid to one of football’s great stars.

The same could be true of Kroupi in a few years. Hailed as “the next Mbappe” by GOAL and valued at £100m, he is making just as big an impact as the Brazilian did as a youngster.

Now 20 years of age, the clinical Frenchman put defences to the sword on a regular basis last term as a spritely 19-year-old. He became the first teenager to score 13 goals in their debut Premier League campaign. He’s a mighty fine player and someone who is well on course to surpass Solanke in the years to come.

For three years now, Tottenham have been searching for their Kane replacement and in the Bournemouth wonderkid, they may well find their answer. He would be as transformative for Spurs as Vini Jr would be for Arsenal.