The Lilywhites could have found a potential dream successor to former talisman, Harry Kane
With the start of the campaign having been largely rosy so far for those at Tottenham Hotspur, the loss of club record goalscorer Harry Kane has not been too keenly felt at present, particularly following the thumping 5-2 win over Burnley last time out.
That rampant outing at Turf Moor saw Kane’s former partner-in-crime Heung-min Son net a clinical treble after lining up as an unorthodox centre-forward option, with new boss Ange Postecoglou having seemingly found a novel way to try and fill the void of the club’s former talisman.
Quite whether this promising beginning to the post-Kane revolution continues remains to be seen, however, with questions to be asked as to whether the likes of Son and Richarlison – who has scored just one league goal for the club to date – can provide enough firepower across an entire season.
To help shoulder the burden on that pairing, the north Londoners did splash the cash on deadline day in order to acquire Wales international, Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest, although only time will tell whether that was a wise investment.
How much did Brennan Johnson cost?
Despite having sold Kane to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £100m in the early knockings of August, it wasn’t until the final few hours of the summer window that Daniel Levy and co finally reinvested those funds on a new senior forward player in the form of Johnson – with wideman Manor Solomon having joined on a free transfer back in July.
While the Forest ace is only into his second season of top-flight football, the nature of the modern market ensured that Spurs were forced to fork out £47.5m in order to acquire his signature, with Postecoglou believing that the 22-year-old ‘is ideal for the way they play’.
That sizeable outlay had come after the one-time Lincoln City loanee scored eight times and provided three assists in 38 league outings last season, with Levy likely hopeful that the emerging talent can kick on in his new surroundings and ultimately prove good value for money.
For all the potential benefits of signing the Nottingham native, there may be frustration that a more obvious and direct replacement for Kane in that number nine berth has not been acquired, with it yet to be seen how involved Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz will be this term following his £12m arrival from Rosario Central.
With that in mind, it could be argued that the Lilywhites would have been better served reinvesting those Kane funds in another sparkling young Premier League talent, instead of Johnson, in the form of reported target, Evan Ferguson.
Why didn’t Tottenham sign Evan Ferguson?
As per a report from 90min last month, those at N17 are believed to have made an enquiry into the possibility of signing the Brighton and Hove Albion hitman this summer, having also made contact with the player’s representatives in the hope of striking a deal.
That enquiry was seemingly quickly rebuffed by those at the Amex, with the Seagulls believed to be hoping to eventually rake in a future fee of around £100m for the 18-year-old, after only recently sanctioning the £115m sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea.
Whether Ferguson – who is currently valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory – would have commanded such a lofty price tag so soon into his embryonic senior career remains to be seen, with there having perhaps been a chance that a compromise could have been met with Levy and co.
Either way, no deal for the teenager came to fruition, with Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy stating that Tottenham have earmarked the Republic of Ireland international as a possible target for next summer, alongside Manchester United.
With more recent rumours indicating that Manchester City could be looking to partner the teen titan alongside Erling Haaland at the Etihad, any Spurs hopes of winning the race for the striker may have dwindled, with the opportunity potentially having already come and gone.
How many goals has Ferguson scored for Brighton?
While, like Johnson, Ferguson remains rather inexperienced at Premier League level having made just 24 appearances in the competition to date, the 6 foot 2 machine has settled remarkably quickly in the top flight, netting ten goals and providing two assists already.
That stellar haul was notably bolstered by the Bettystown-born hotshot’s stunning hat-trick at home to Newcastle United last time out, with the pick of the bunch having been a curling, long-range effort that evaded the sprawling Nick Pope.
Evan Ferguson game by numbers vs Newcastle
81 minutes played
34 touches
3 goals
4 shots on target
2/2 successful attempted dribbles
94% pass accuracy rate
7/9 total duels won
4 fouls won
Stats via Sofascore
Such a sumptuous strike has served as a reminder of why the former Bohemians man has previously been described as finishing like “Alan Shearer in his pomp”, in the words of pundit Tim Sherwood, with it no doubt some praise to be likened to the free-scoring Magpies legend.
Also described as a “superstar” by BBC pundit Danny Murphy, Ferguson has also been compared to a more contemporary striking sensation in the form of Haaland, with former England international Gary Lineker recently stating:
“He’s got a tiny hint of Haaland. He’s a big lad, strong, quick, good finisher who looks unfazed by everything.”
With 14 goals and four assists to his name in just 33 first-team appearances for the south coast side, it is no surprise that the Brighton ace notably ranks in the top 3% among his fellow forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, while Johnson ranks in just the bottom 17% in that regard.
A further strength of Ferguson’s game is his impressive hold play as he is just so tidy in possession, ranking in the top 3% for pass completion, with that again a better return than his Forest counterpart, who ranks in the bottom 14% for that same metric.
It may have been seen as a gamble to invest so heavily in a player like Ferguson, although as a more traditional, “old-school” number nine – as hailed by pundit Owen Hargreaves – the six-cap menace could well have represented a more natural successor to Kane, instead of Johnson.
