Nicolas Jackson has been one of the most exciting signings of the summer yet Spurs could land their own version of the Gambian.
A £24m hotshot, Tottenham are targeting a player who found the net 19 times last season.
They may, however, need to fend off interest from Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to secure European qualification by the end of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, having missed out on continental football after finishing eighth last season.
New manager Ange Postecoglou is seeking to instil confidence and cohesion back into the ranks, but he will have to do so without talisman Harry Kane, who completed a £100m transfer to Bayern Munich last week.
As such, if Tottenham want to close the distance on their rivals and return to European competition and desirably the Champions League, it is imperative that a successful swoop is made for a first-class new striker.
According to French publication Foot Mercato, Tottenham now have their sights on Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier’s star striker Elye Wahi, with the 20-year-old enjoying a prolific season and also attracting Chelsea’s attention.
The Blues have reportedly already made a €28m (£24m) offer for the Frenchman, though this was swiftly knocked back by La Paillade.
How good is Elye Wahi?
Hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his “incredible” performances last term, Wahi scored 19 goals and supplied six assists from 33 appearances in the French top-flight, starting 29 times.
This follows a breakout season during 2020/21 that saw the then teenage talent plunder ten goals from just 21 starts in the league, and if he continues to make the increments to his game there is no telling just how prolific the rising star might become.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals and the top 20% for progressive carries per 90, putting him among the game’s very best and solidifying the argument that he would be a worthy long-term heir to the “world-class” Kane – as the England international has been called by former Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte.
FBref also lists new Chelsea signing Nicolas Jackson as a comparable player to the Montpellier prodigy, and Spurs could do well to sign a man to rival the Gambian, who Felix Johnston positively branded an “absolute joke” for his overall play on his debut last weekend against Liverpool.
The west London giants paid in excess of the 22-year-old’s £30m release clause to complete a swoop from Villarreal this summer, with Jackson having enjoyed a remarkable purple patch at the business end of last season to plunder ten goals and two assists from his final 11 LaLiga outings.
The “extraordinary” talent – as praised by Kulig – ranks among the top 8% of forwards for goals and progressive carries per 90, and if Tottenham sign Wahi they may well ensure that they secure the Premier League’s brightest new attacking talent.
While Jackson’s late burst of goal-heavy form with the Yellow Submarine was impressive, Wahi is demonstrating the consistency of his prolific ability and a cutting edge that will forever slice open defences and provide his side with a devastating attacking weapon.
Ex-Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo said of the Montpellier sharpshooter: “He is a powerful, athletic and fast player with a range of dribbling skills where only he knows what he is going to do next.”
This sounds like the kind of man Postecoglou needs to pump life and energy into his Tottenham project, and now that Kane has departed and chairman Daniel Levy boasts a veritable warchest, he must secure the signature of a striker who could cement a starring position at the club for years to come.
