Tottenham Hotspur made a fairly bold call in the summer when they decided to part ways with Ange Postecoglou after he won the Europa League trophy at the end of last season.
The Lilywhites ended a trophy drought that lasted the best part of two decades, but that was not enough to keep the Australian head coach in his post in North London.
They opted to go with Thomas Frank, who was poached from fellow Premier League side Brentford, to replace Postecoglou in the dugout, and he has had a terrific start to life at the club.
The Danish tactician led his side to a 3-0 win away at Everton in the top-flight on Sunday, which has left Spurs sitting third in the Premier League table after nine matches.
Two goals from Micky van de Ven and a late header from Pape Matar Sarr secured all three points for the Lilywhites on Merseyside, but it was not a perfect performance.
For example, the Spurs head coach may not have been entirely pleased with the performance of his starting number nine, as Randal Kolo Muani struggled.
Why Spurs need more from Randal Kolo Muani
The Lilywhites need to get more out of their summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, because his performance against Everton was slightly alarming.
In his defence, it was his first Premier League start and only his second outing in the league for Spurs. However, he lost seven of his eight duels and took four unsuccessful touches from 15 total touches, per Sofascore, which shows that the striker struggled on and off the ball.
Kolo Muani needed to offer more of an outlet in the number nine position to take pressure off his team at times, as the hosts pressed for a goal but could not get past an impressive Guglielmo Vicario, and failed to do so, as James Tarkowski and Michael Keane found it too easy to get the better of him.
It remains to be seen whether or not Spurs will see major improvement from the France international during his time in North London, because his form across two seasons with PSG left a fair bit to be desired.
Randal Kolo Muani (Ligue 1)
23/24
24/25
Appearances
26
10
xG
6.09
4.67
Goals
6
2
Big chances missed
3
7
Conversion rate
27%
13%
Assists
5
1
As you can see in the table above, Kolo Muani underperformed his xG and only scored eight goals in 36 Ligue 1 appearances for the French giants.
He did, though, score eight goals in 16 Serie A matches on loan at Juventus in the second half of last season, along with two goals in three games at the Club World Cup, per Sofascore.
Whilst Spurs are looking for more from their striker and hoping that he can channel the form that he displayed for Juventus, the club are reportedly eyeing a striker who would be an instant upgrade on him.
Spurs have held talks to sign new striker
According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Porto centre-forward Samu Aghehowa in the January transfer window.
The report claims that Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest are all showing an interest in the Spain international, as they look to bolster their squads.
It adds that Porto have a €100m release clause, around £87m, in the marksman’s contract at the club, and they are not willing to allow him to leave for less than that figure.
CaughtOffside adds that Spurs have held internal talks over the potential of a short-term loan, for the second half of the season, with an option to make it permanent next summer, but the £87m valuation is a roadblock at this moment in time.
It now remains to be seen whether or not Tottenham will test the waters with a formal offer for Samu’s services when the January transfer window opens for business.
Why Spurs should sign Samu in January
Spurs should swoop to sign the Porto centre-forward ahead of the second half of the campaign because he could come in as an instant upgrade on Kolo Muani.
As aforementioned, the France international’s contrasting form for Juventus and PSG suggests that there is no guarantee that he will improve his performances and become a star for Frank in the next couple of months before the January window.
This means that the Lilywhites may get to January and realise that they need a consistent and prolific striker who can score them the goals they may need to win silverware, or to qualify for the Champions League.
Samu’s form for Porto suggests that he could arrive in North London to hit the ground running as a lethal scorer for Frank, as he has scored five goals in seven league games this season, per Sofascore.
The Spanish marksman also scored 25 goals in 41 matches for Porto in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which included six goals in nine appearances in the Europa League.
24/25 season
Samu (Liga Portugal)
Kolo Muani (Ligue 1 + Serie A)
Appearances
30
26
xG
14.07
9.37
Goals
19
10
Big chances created
5
4
Assists
3
2
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the former Atletico Madrid youngster outperformed Kolo Muani at league level last season, with nine more goals and one more assist in just four more appearances.
Samu, who was described as an “absolute powerhouse” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored eight goals in all competitions so far this term, per Sofascore, whilst Micky van de Ven is Tottenham’s top goalscorer with five goals, per Transfermarkt.
This suggests that he would come in as an instant upgrade on Kolo Muani, whilst also solving a glaring issue for Spurs, because their centre-back is their top goalscorer heading into November.
Samu’s return of 33 goals for Porto since the start of last season shows that he can be a prolific and consistent performer at the top end of the pitch for Frank, whilst it remains to be seen which side of Kolo Muani will settle down in North London.
Therefore, Spurs should be looking to wrap up a deal for the Spanish centre-forward when the January transfer window opens for business, whether that is an initial loan or a straight-up permanent move.
