It’s been a refreshing change for Tottenham Hotspur this summer. Free from the vice-like grip of Daniel Levy, the Lilywhites are beginning to look like major players in the transfer market.
The north London side notably fended off rival interest from Manchester City to secure the signing of Sandro Tonali, before blowing Manchester United out of the water in the race for Mateus Fernandes.
Over £200m has already been spent, with six new signings already in the building, yet that might just be the start for Roberto De Zerbi‘s side.
The transfer war chest hasn’t yet been depleted, with the next marquee move potentially set to be that of Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi.
How Kroupi compares to Dominic Solanke at Bournemouth
Amid suggestions that Spurs could launch a £90m move for Kroupi this summer, with the Frenchman showing a keen desire to make the switch, there might be some concern that this may prove to be Dominic Solanke mark two.
It was only two years ago that Levy and co forked out a then club-record £65m fee to prise the Englishman from the Cherries, with Solanke fresh from having scored 19 Premier League goals in his final season at the Vitality Stadium.
That 2023/24 campaign saw the former Chelsea and Liverpool man score once every 175 minutes, while recording a 17% goal conversion rate as he missed 14 ‘big chances’.
He hadn’t ever scored more than six goals in a top-flight season before that, while Solanke has gone on to struggle at N17, netting just 12 league goals in two injury-hit years at the club.
In Kroupi’s case, meanwhile, the 20-year-old might not have reached Solanke’s tally of 19 last season, but he was so remarkably clinical in what was his first taste of life in the Premier League.
Signed from Lorient in 2025, Kroupi broke the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in their debut Premier League campaign, his 13 goals coming from only 21 starts.
Indeed, he scored at a rate of one goal every 130 minutes, well ahead of Solanke’s 2023/24 average, while he also boasted a 25% goal conversion after missing only three ‘big chances’.
Throw in the fact that the youngster can also operate off the left or in a central role, and this doesn’t feel like a Solanke repeat, even if it will take a pretty penny to prise him from the south coast side.
A more exciting capture than Solanke he might well be, although Kroupi isn’t the only Premier League option on the table.
Why £60m Spurs target could be a class above Kroupi
The list of attacking targets appears to be growing for ENIC, with both Marcus Rashford and Rafael Leao heavily linked with a move, the pair, like Kroupi, able to operate both off the left and in a central role if needed.
And yet, in this ongoing bid to replace Harry Kane, Spurs might also look to a more orthodox, old-fashioned number nine instead, someone who can replace Solanke as the new physical focal point in attack.
By all accounts, that player might be Brentford’s Igor Thiago, with journalist Ben Jacobs – speaking on the Last Word on Spurs podcast – revealing that the Brazilian is on De Zerbi’s list of summer targets.
“But that’s the point with the number nine, that my feeling anyway is if Spurs are going to do something there, they’re looking for what they perceive to be a real main man, a real starting transplant into your XI that can go out there and get you 15 or 20 goals.
“And that’s why they like Igor Thiago, but there’s no suggestion that a transfer is going to be possible this summer.”
In terms of an asking price, it has been suggested that a fee of around £90m could be what is needed to prise the South American from the Gtech, with rivals Chelsea also sniffing around.
That price tag might appear steep, although Thiago does look like the ‘proven’ option that Spurs are in need, having enjoyed such a standout 2025/26 campaign.
Yes, the World Cup didn’t go to plan, with the surprise call-up failing his big audition in the group stage opener against Morocco, yet the Bees star had deserved his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad after finishing second in the Premier League scoring charts.
|
PL Top Scorers – 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals (Penalties) |
|
Haaland |
27 (3) |
|
Thiago |
22 (8) |
|
Semenyo |
17 (1) |
|
Watkins |
16 (0) |
|
J Pedro |
15 (0) |
|
Gibbs-White |
15 (1) |
|
Gyokeres |
14 (3) |
|
Calvert-Lewin |
14 (4) |
|
Welbeck |
13 (1) |
|
Kroupi |
13 (2) |
His tally of 22 league goals came following an injury-hit first season in England, with the former Club Brugge striker making up for lost time and then some under Keith Andrews’ watch.
He comfortably bettered Kroupi’s scoring return, while actually eclipsing the youngster in terms of goal conversion (26%), even while missing 20 ‘big chances’.
A towering, powerhouse of a striker, Thiago leads the line so effectively, making a real nuisance of himself while also helping to link play, having created six ‘big chances’ last term, ahead of Kroupi’s tally of three.
Still only 25 himself, the Brazilian has been rather prolific wherever he’s been, scoring 29 in 55 for Brugge, alongside 21 in 55 for Ludogorets and 25 in his first 48 in England.
In Kroupi’s case, the youngster scored 28 in 64 for Lorient, while he has 13 in his first 35 games at Bournemouth, perhaps not yet boasting the proven pedigree of his Premier League counterpart.
Thiago, considering his World Cup woes, might not be the glamour name Spurs supporters are craving, yet as writer Zach Lowy rightly stated, he is now undoubtedly “one of the best strikers in England“.
As Lowy noted, it’s been a rapid rise in such a short space of time for the £90m man, having been plying his trade for Ludogorets’ B team just over four years ago.
Hopefully, the journey can now continue at N17.
