Can this young striker fix Tottenham's busted attack?

It’s very much Dubiously Sourced Rumour Szn, but at least this is one that we’ve been hearing about from various outlets for months. Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, who would likely cost them at least €50m.

Samu had a very promising first year in Portugal last year, and has only stepped up his production this campaign. Dude just gets a ton of good shots in good locations, and is a hard working presser. At 6’4” (193cm), he’s an imposing aerial presence too.

But thanks to Victor Gymsharkeres turning in yet another stinker last night, Portuguese Liga striker skepticism has been ramped up considerably among Premier League fans. We pointed this out several times last year, but Swiss Ramble digs into the numbers behind the problem of Gyökeres being a flat-track bully:

And Samu, despite this very nice-looking shot map, brings with him a similar concern.

None of his non-penalty goals have come against teams in the top 5 of the table. He does have a couple against the 6th and 7th placed teams, so it’s not all low-tier stat farming, but it’s a big concern that he’s not producing against the best opponents. In Europa League this season, both of his non-penalty goals were against Malmo. He scored 6 in Europa League last year, but was a hot finisher, scoring them from just 2.64 xG.

Having watched Samu plenty, I think he has the physical tools to make the step up to the Premier League. He’s young enough that any team signing him should be patient with his development, and I wouldn’t get too worried even if he got off to a bad start. But anyone who’s expecting him to fix Tottenham’s attack overnight should seriously temper their expectations.

More news and transfer rumours

• Bukayo Saka has signed a new contract with Arsenal, which is probably better news than any potential signing. It’ll be interesting to see what the terms look like and how much the club has raised its wage ceiling. Presumably, he wasn’t signing unless he got more than the £14m per season that Kai Havertz reportedly earns.

• The Gunners are reportedly interested in rivaling their… well, rivals… for Marc Guehi. Personally, I don’t think they’re going to be willing to match an offer from a team with worse center backs, which is all of the other teams.

• Jamie Lewelling from Stuttgart is a target for Bournemouth to replace Antoine Semenyo, though I can’t imagine they’ll be thrilled about getting sucked into an overpay while everyone knows they have money to burn. The idea that they could kick the can down the road by loaning in Ethan Nwaneri makes sense to me.

• I was not aware that Bournemouth are also likely to lose Marcos Senesi on a free, and Juventus are interested. Also on Juve’s list are Murillo and Joe Gomez.

• Borussia Dortmund center back Nico Schlotterbeck reportedly preferred a move to Bayern Munich over one to Real Madrid, but with Dayot Upamecano signing an extension with the Bavarians, Madrid are now heavy favorites.

• In need of a midfielder, Ajax are reportedly looking into loaning Manuel Ugarte from Man United. I just shudder at the idea of Ajax signing a midfielder whose problem is that he is bad at passing. Game’s gone.

• Leeds are trying to sign Union Berlin center back Danilho Doekhi, a big fella that wins some dang headers.

• We’ve got some spec investing on teenagers who aren’t playing much pro football. Aston Villa are signing 16-year-old Brian Madjo from Metz, and Brentford are signing 18-year-old Kaye Furo from Brugge.

• I am baffled as to why Andreas Schjelderup is not getting more time at Benfica or interest from richer clubs, but he’s heading to Parma on a loan with buy option. Good for Parma! They’ll flip him for a big profit in 2 years.

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