Summary Tottenham are in the market for a new striker after Harry Kane's departure. A £38m man could arrive, although he holds some of Antonio Conte's worst traits. The player in question has been described as a "mercenary" in some circles.
Tottenham Hotspur’s striker search continues despite claiming their first win under Ange Postecoglou, with one recurring name sure to have fans worried…
Who else are Tottenham signing this summer?
With Harry Kane having starred on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, scoring and assisting, the Lilywhites’ clash with Manchester United drew added pressure as they sought to build on their opening-day draw at Brentford.
It’s fair to say that they more than dispelled the frustrations regarding the sale of the England captain, with an emphatic 2-0 win in front of a rampant home crowd.
However, the clash was marred by the underperformance of RIcharlison, whose anonymity has seemingly spurred them back into the market. His 6.4 Sofascore rating was the lowest of any starter from Postecoglou's side.
As such, Italian outlet Calciomercato even suggested on Friday that they have entered talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
It is expected that the west London outfit will command a fee of just €45m (£38m) for his services, which marks a monumental loss that the Blues are set to make, given he was signed for £97.5m back in 2021.
How good is Romelu Lukaku?
Whilst there are numerous reasons to avoid the potential acquisition of the hulking Belgian, there is one comparison that can be made which would turn fans away from this swoop.
Despite being contracted to Chelsea, the 30-year-old has most recently spent a year on loan at Inter Milan, having only recently moved to Stamford Bridge from Italy.
Given that Antonio Conte had impressed at the Nerazzuri before joining Spurs, this link will be a frightening reminder of a torrid era and one of the club’s darkest years in recent history.
With their abysmal football aside, it was the Italian’s tendency to lash out in press conferences that truly led to the end of his stay in north London.
The former statement is supported by pundit Danny Murphy, who lambasted his style back in March: “It’s time now. He has been overpaid and underachieved. He hasn’t delivered. They sneaked into the top four last season because Arsenal threw it away. Tottenham have been in the top four many times, so that’s hardly an overachievement.
“They’ve gone out of the League Cup to Forest, FA Cup to Sheffield United, he’s causing chaos at least two or three times a season with his attitude. The football’s generally turgid, and nobody’s enjoying watching it”.
In fact, the sacking of the 54-year-old only came after one such explosive interview, where he took issue with the club, the players and the hierarchy.
One particularly damning quote from that press conference read: "They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment.”
Worryingly, Lukaku has also had a penchant for these outbursts in high-profile settings, first pushing an exit from Everton before lambasting Manchester United years after his exit.
Then, most recently, whilst still employed by Chelsea he admitted he would have preferred to have stayed at the San Siro that summer he made his switch.
It is this history of jumping ship that led to journalist Ben Grounds outlining his reputation as a “mercenary”, as a similar troublemaker to how Conte was.
Even with his off-field antics aside, it could be argued that his best days are way behind him now anyway, with little reason for his purchase.
He only scored ten Serie A goals last season, having been forced out on loan after notching just eight Premier League goals upon his return to west London.
Given how vocal Postecoglou has remained with his admiration for Richarlison, despite his failures in front of goal, there is even less reason to make such a lucrative risk:
“He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does, does not get seen. His pressing, his runs. Sometimes he does not get the ball but he is always making those runs and he is a constant nuisance for defenders. I have said before that I really like Richy”.
With a preference for a hard worker, alongside Lukaku’s similarities with the villainous Conte, there is seemingly little reason to bring in the underwhelming forward.