Tottenham Hotspur are likely to sign a new star centre-forward before the summer transfer window slams shut in one week, having sold pre-eminent talisman Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for £100m this month.
New manager Ange Postecoglou has kicked things off impressively in the Premier League however, drawing away to Brentford before beating Manchester United 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Moves have been made this summer, with James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario joining the club while Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro's loan moves have been made permanent, but a new talisman is still required.
What's the latest on Santiago Gimenez to Tottenham?
Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez has been on Tottenham's radar this summer – according to the player's agent, Morris Pagniello – with claims that the Lilywhites have met with the player's entourage and were ready to lodge a €40m (£34m) offer.
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Pagniello stated that there is still time left on the market, and while the 22-year-old forward is contented with the Dutch champions, this could be one to keep an eye on as the window approaches the business end.
How good is Santiago Gimenez?
The Argentina-born Mexico international has been in fine fettle over in the Netherlands, having netted 28 goals across all competitions last term as Feyenoord gleaned the Dutch league title.
The 18-cap ace was described as "on fire" by talent scout Jacek Kulig earlier in 2023 as he fired in goals like a fusillade of missiles, and with such impressive goalscoring feats, he has arrested the attention of the Tottenham hierarchy.
Indeed, Gimenez ranks among the top 3% of forwards in the Men's 'Next Eight' divisions over the past year for goals, the top 5% for total shots and the top 1% for touches in the attacking area per 90, as per FBref.
Dirk Kuyt has certainly been coloured impressed by his performances, even going as far as to say that he is the "best" striker in the Netherlands.
He said:
“He’s back here in the middle of the defenders and he’s really fast,"
"Watching the keeper before he shoots, the rest. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the Eredivisie."
Gimenez is not completely similar to Kane in terms of style, giving that he serves as the quintessential focal frontman at the tip of the attack.
Kane, while one of the most frightening goalscorers in Europe – he scored 32 goals for the Lilywhites last term – is also one of the most creative attackers around, ranking among the top 10% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for progressive passes per 90.
The latter metric indicates a tendency to drop deep and influence the play by placing passes through the thirds, splitting the line and allowing his box-crashing teammates to latch onto his ball.
Gimenez wouldn't offer that kind of threat, after all, he created only 0.6 key passes per game in the Eredivisie last year, but he would be able to provide the kind of cutting edge that would be shades of Kane.
And anyway, Maddison's arrival has signalled a newfound layer of supplementation from the centre, with the playmaker having already provided two assists this year, creating four key passes per game, so deploying a striker such as Gimenez could prove to be a resounding success.
Postecoglou must make sure Kane is replaced over the next week, and while that is certainly a tall order, Gimenez's prolificness could at least ease that burden in N17.
