Tottenham Hotspur have identified a perfect short-term replacement for Harry Kane in the shape of Andy Carroll, who could reportedly cost a mere £2 million.
Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, it seems, have finally found their desired replacement for the injured Harry Kane in the shape of Andy Carroll – it has been claimed by The Guardian.
The West Ham forward’s current contract at the club will expire at the end of the season. As a result, Carroll is believed to available for as low as £2 million in this ongoing winter transfer window, thus appearing as an appealing target for Spurs.
The Lilywhites are slowly running out of options in their attack with Kane ruled out till March while Heung-Min Son is out with international duty. Moreover, Lucas Moura is also struggling with an injury and to add further salt into their wounds, Dele Alli limped off in the narrow win over Fulham last weekend – adding to Tottenham’s crisis in the attacking department.
And while Christian Eriksen can certainly be deployed in a slightly advanced role in order to fill the gap left by Alli, the addition of a new striker, who can replace Kane will be imperative, especially considering how back-up striker Fernando Llorente fared against the Cottagers on Sunday.
However, Carroll might not be the kind of player Mauricio Pochettino would be hoping for given his awful injury record, which is coupled with the fact that the West Ham striker is, more or less, a one-dimensional striker, who won’t add much to Spurs’ attacking flexibility.
Indeed, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Carroll relies heavily on his aerial prowess and although he boasts a rather impressive scoring record in the limited chances he has had during his time with West Ham, the 30-year-old simply lacks the technical quality to excel under Pochettino’s tactical setup at Tottenham.
His tall figure also affects his mobility and that could certainly be detrimental to the Spurs attack as Pochettino often tends to advise his strikers to manipulate the opposing defence by making a series of clever runs in and around the penalty area.
Most importantly, however, Carroll has hardly played much football, having mustered just over 1,000 minutes of league action over the course of the past 18 months. This raises doubts over his credibility of instantly making an impact at Tottenham, despite his vast experience in the English top flight.
Therefore, the Lilywhites should definitely shift their attention to a more promising alternative in the market. Timo Werner, for one, seems like an ideal candidate and with the forward seemingly keen on leaving RB Leipzig, this could be an ideal time for Tottenham to pounce on the German international.
