It seemed impossible. Harry Kane? Playing football for a club not named Tottenham Hotspur? Incomprehensible. The England captain had somehow remained at the club after Manchester City's £100m approach in the summer of 2021, also avoiding years of incessant interest from Manchester United.
But last season, it all went wrong and Spurs languished to an eighth-placed Premier League finish to bar entry to European competition after the summer, and after trying his hardest with 30 goals from 38 top-flight contests, Kane decided that enough was enough, having never tasted a major honour as a professional.
He really had given the club his all, graduating from the academy and making a name for himself across numerous loan spells before earning opportunities in the first team.
Fast track to the present and Kane has transferred to German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich after scoring 278 goals and supplying 64 assists across 430 appearances for Tottenham, draping the curtain as the club's all-time top scorer.
Spurs "looking" at £100m "monster" who's "like Harry Kane"
This first-class striker would end Richarlison’s free-scoring success as the focal frontman.
ByAngus Sinclair Jan 19, 2024
Replacing him this summer seemed an insurmountable task, so Ange Postecoglou… didn't. Instead, the newly-appointed Australian rebuilt the Lilywhites across a multitude of positions and has revived the optimism, with Spurs currently fighting for a return to the Champions League.
Heung-min Son and Richarlison have alternated between the striking position, and while Richarlison has been in fine goalscoring form of late – bagging six from six in the Premier League – he is not the long-term solution at centre-forward and could well be replaced.
With this in mind, here are the current names touted to join Tottenham as the first-choice forward in 2024, be that this month or in the summer.
1 Option 1: Santiago Gimenez
Untested in the Premier League but undoubtedly a factory-built goalscorer, Santiago Gimenez scored 28 goals across all competitions as Feyenoord gleaned the Dutch Eredivisie title.
The Lilywhites are reportedly interested in a deal and would possibly only need to pay £30m for his signature, which is no small sum but definitely feasible.
This term, as per Sofascore, Gimenez has carried over last season's prolific feats and then some, posting 18 goals and four assists from 19 league matches.
As such, the 22-year-old has been praised for his "insane" feats in the Netherlands by scout Antonio Mango and seems to boast that indescribable quality – a matter of positioning and spatial awareness, perhaps – that only the top talismanic forces offer.
As per FBref, the Mexican machine ranks among the top 1% of forwards across divisions similar to the Dutch Eredivisie over the past year for goals scored and touches in the attacking box and the top 2% for shots taken per 90.
With brilliant shooting skills and an imposing presence at the spearhead, Gimenez may not quite have Richarlison's dynamism but he would give Postecoglou that final piece of the puzzle.
To be fair, the likes of Son, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski (and Richarlison, to an extent) provide Postecoglou's system with creativity, and Gimenez would be a worthy addition at the front of the attack.
2 Option 2: Dominic Solanke
Dominic Solanke has been in fantastic form this season and has posted 12 goals and an assist from just 20 games in the Premier League, eclipsing last term's total of six successful strikes from 33 games.
Now shaping into a "top, multi-faceted forward" – as commented by The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell – Solanke is on Tottenham's radar, according to Football Insider, though Arsenal and Newcastle United are both vying for his services too.
Bournemouth are set to demand a ballpark figure of £50m for his departure from the Vitality Stadium and while he has been in fine fettle since last summer, it might be prudent to see his progress over the coming months with a view to lodging a bid come June.
Timo Werner
Tottenham Hotspur
Darwin Nunez
Liverpool
Ivan Toney
Brentford
Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal
Callum Wilson
Newcastle United
Although Solanke has many English top-flight suitors intrigued by a transfer this year, Postecoglou will feel that the promise of regular minutes at the front of an exciting new project could entice the one-time Liverpool prospect to make the move to London.
And if he does now sustain his newfound cutting edge in the Premier League, he would almost certainly prove an upgrade on Richarlison.
3 Option 3: Ivan Toney
Last but certainly not least, Tottenham are among the contenders for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, though it must be stressed that Arsenal and Chelsea are believed to be frontrunners for the 27-year-old's signature.
Valued as high as £100m by the Bees, Toney was in scintillating showing last season and clinched 20 goals and four assists, creating a whopping 12 big chances, across 33 Premier League fixtures before being found guilty of breaching FA betting rules, serving an eight-month suspension.
Returning to competitive action against Nottingham Forest last Sunday, scoring a delightful free-kick to open the scoring as Thomas Frank's side secured a vital three points, Toney probably won't leave his side in January but will look to impress over the coming months and convince a club like Tottenham to make their move.
Minutes played
90'
Goals
1
Shots on target
1
Touches
56
Pass completion
18/33 (55%)
Key passes
2
Crosses
2/4 (50%)
Ground duels won
5/5 (100%)
Tackles
1
Interceptions
1
Clearances
4
As is clear from the £20k-per-week phenom's statistics against Forest, he displayed no sign of ring rust, as it were, instead picking up where he left off with an all-encompassing attacking effort.
A clinical striker who has even been proclaimed to be "like Harry Kane" by England international Declan Rice, Toney would be a massive upgrade on Richarlison and reminded the footballing world of his qualities last weekend, now certain to get his transfer at some point this year.