How Spurs could sign Junior Kroupi clone who’s “the next Kylian Mbappe”

Mateus Fernandes aside, it’s been a summer all about experience for Tottenham Hotspur on the transfer front, with every other arrival having been aged 26 or above.

Back at Brighton and Hove Albion, a key reason for Roberto De Zerbi‘s exit was his frustration at the club’s recruitment policy, with the Seagulls intent on pushing for youth rather than proven players entering their prime.

Well, in this new Daniel Levy-less era in north London, the Italian has got his wish, with the arrival of Sandro Tonali, in particular, standing out as a deal that simply wouldn’t have been completed in years gone by.

De Zerbi is assembling a squad capable of challenging again toward the top end of the table, although the only concern will be that this pursuit of short-term gain might well lead to long-term pain.

Why Spurs youngsters could be fearing the worst under De Zerbi

Amid reports that the Lilywhites are pushing to sign 20-year-old Bournemouth star, Eli Junior Kroupi, it’s not as if Spurs are completely abandoning their prior policy of landing high-potential, long-term signings.

Indeed too, much of the frustration for so long had been Levy’s obsession with moving for the next big thing, rather than splashing the cash on a player who could make an immediate impact.

The balance, in that sense, has been readdressed, although De Zerbi needs to be careful that he doesn’t tip the scales too greatly, amid the risk of squandering a raft of exciting young talent at N17.

The pursuit of Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke has already seen 19-year-old sensation, Luka Vuskovic, head in the opposite direction, while Sweden starlet, Lucas Bergvall, appears to be pushing for an exit of his own amid interest from Nottingham Forest.

As for Archie Gray, the arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes have also thrown his future into doubt, the 20-year-old believed to have been the subject of an offer from Newcastle United.

From the days of Mauricio Pochettino, when the Argentine oversaw the development of the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-min Son, that youthful feel to Spurs might well be lost in this new De Zerbi regime.

A sprinkling of young signings, like that of Kroupi, would go some way to helping level things out.

Spurs battling rivals to sign “the next Kylian Mbappe”

In De Zerbi’s defence, there is an expectation that Spurs will go back to land the £90m-rated Kroupi this summer, with the Frenchman fresh from having broken the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in their debut Premier League season (13).

The clinical striker had only signed from Ligue 2 side Lorient back in 2025, seemingly enjoying a serene start to life in English football on the south coast.

Hopefully, it could be a similar story if Spurs are to secure their own import from France, with FootMercato reporting that they are among a raft of clubs interested in Paris Saint-Germain teenager, Ibrahim Mbaye.

The suggestion is that the Lilywhites, alongside the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, are all ‘closely’ monitoring the 18-year-old, amid his uncertain future at the Parc des Princes.

The Senegalese international wants to leave the Ligue 1 giants this summer, while the Champions League holders are open to a sale, with just two years left on the winger’s contract.

Like Kroupi, Mbaye looks like another teen sensation who could well explode in the Premier League, hailed by GOAL as perhaps “the next Kylian Mbappe“.

Such is the stellar list of attacking talent ahead of him in Paris, emulating Mbappe currently looks unlikely, although that’s not to say he isn’t a target to be excited by.

Indeed, in just 15 games at international level, Mbaye’s already scored four times, most notably rifling home from the angle in Senegal’s defeat to Mbappe’s France in the World Cup group stage.

That stellar effort showcased just what an elite finisher he is, with the in-demand wonderkid also netting three times in Ligue 1 last term, despite only starting ten games.

He did only miss four ‘big chances’ too, only one more than Kroupi racked up last term for the Cherries, suggesting he’s not particularly errant in front of goal.

Perhaps Mbaye merely needs a change of scenery and an opportunity to thrive under a coach like De Zerbi.

Encouragingly, the eighth-most similar player to him last term was Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, as per Scout Lab, the Japanese winger having flourished under the Italian at the Amex.

What is most notable about Mbaye’s game is his ball-carrying prowess, having ranked within the top 4% of wingers for progressive carries per 90 last term, although he did also rank in the top 17% for progressive passes per 90.

In Kroupi’s case, he’s another direct, forward-thinking attacker who has that similarly fearless quality to his game, the ex-Lorient starlet ranking in the top 19% of strikers for progressive passes, as well as in the top 7% for through ball passes.

After a season of so much woe for Tottenham’s forward line, both Mbaye and Kroupi would provide that much-needed injection of youth and dynamism, that ability to create something out of nothing.

De Zerbi might want experience and stability in the midfield and defensive unit, but he can perhaps afford to take a gamble on a potential star of the future in the forward line.