Tottenham Hotspur's bid to bolster their forward line following the departure of former talisman Harry Kane has taken something of an unexpected turn, with Ange Postecoglou seemingly eyeing up a late, marquee move for an exciting young forward…
Who will Tottenham sign before Deadline Day?
Having lost the England skipper to German giants Bayern Munich on a £100m deal earlier this month, the Lilywhites have thus far only brought in free transfer arrival Manor Solomon and Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz to help strengthen the attack, albeit while also ensuring Dejan Kulusevski is set for a permanent stay at N17.
With fresh faces still seemingly needed before the close of the window later this week, various reports have indicated that Postecoglou has his eyes set on Nottingham Forest speedster, Brennan Johnson, with the Wales international valued at around £50m by his current side.
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Amid that interest in the 22-year-old, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also since reported that Spurs are in talks regarding an exciting move to bring Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati to England on a temporary deal, with the respected insider revealing on Twitter:
"Understand Tottenham are now in contact with Barça to negotiate for Ansu Fati deal on loan until June 2024. Discussions about conditions of the deal but Barça want 100% of the salary covered. Ansu, also presented to Chelsea as opportunity but no former approach yet."
How good is Ansu Fati?
With all the talk having been about the aforementioned Johnson of late, this apparent interest in the 20-year-old Spaniard has come somewhat out of the blue, with it yet to be seen if a deal can be wrapped up before Friday's deadline.
While there is still a chance that Fati could be brought in alongside the Forest ace, if a decision has to be made between which player would prove a better fit, it should well be the Barca sensation who gets the nod.
Much like Johnson, the highly-rated talent – who has been valued at around €80m (£69m) by CIES Football Observatory – has the ability to feature on either flank or in a central role if required, with such flexibility likely to be appealing as far as Postecoglou is concerned.
Although Johnson did enjoy a promising first season in top-flight football last time out – having scored eight goals and provided three assists for Steve Cooper's side in the league – young Fati was also impressive in La Liga, with seven goals and four assists under his belt.
That latter record came despite the "magic" ace – as described by teammate Eric Garcia – only being restricted to just 12 league starts for the Catalan outfit, while the Forest man started 33 times in the Premier League by contrast, thus indicating that a more prominent role for Fati in a new home could see him truly explode.
It is also clear to see the superior attacking threat that the latter man is able to pose in the final third as he ranks in the top 1% among his European peers for progressive passes received per 90 and in the top 8% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, while Johnson, meanwhile, ranks in just the bottom 13% and the bottom 38% for those same two metrics, respectively.
Equally, the younger man also appears to be able to retain possession more successfully and provide a truly composed presence on the ball as he ranks in the top 6% for pass completion, with that again far superior to the Nottingham native – who ranks in just the bottom 2% in that regard.
Despite his relative youth, Fati – who inherited Lionel Messi's number ten shirt at Camp Nou – has already racked up 39 goals and assists in 112 games in all competitions for his current side, proving that he can handle the pressure of performing for such an elite club.
The hope will be that such displays can be replicated on a more consistent basis if a move to Tottenham is to occur in the coming days for the 5 foot 10 menace…
