Tottenham’s January transfer window is a failure if Spurs don’t land a striker

Tottenham have done some excellent pieces of business during the January transfer window, but failing to sign a striker would undo all of Spurs’ good work.

The moment Harry Kane limped off the pitch against Southampton due to injury it became very obvious what Tottenham had to accomplish this transfer window. Securing the services of a striker capable of leading the line during Kane’s absence immediately become the club’s top priority.

Despite that clear and obvious directive, it now looks as if Spurs won’t come away with a new striker this month. Instead, Jose Mourinho will be forced to rely on the likes of Lucas Moura to serve as the focal point for his attack. Quite simply, that isn’t good enough for a club with legitimate hopes of securing Champions League football with a top four finish.

In fairness to Daniel Levy and company, some of their other transfer business this month has been quite good. Activating Giovani Lo Celso‘s purchase clause from Real Betis was an easy call, but Spurs still deserve credit for making it without any fuss. Bringing in Gedson Fernandes on loan with an option to purchase gives Mourinho another interesting player to work with in the midfield. It’s a relatively risk-free look at a talented player for Spurs.

The best move of the window is the signing of Steven Bergwijn from PSV. He’s been a long-term target for quite a few big clubs in England. He’ll give Mourinho a much-needed boost of attacking talent on the wing. He also will help Tottenham transition to a 4-3-3 formation in the short-term.

Unfortunately, all of these good moves will be wiped away if Tottenham fail to land a legitimate No. 9. The remaining options for Spurs aren’t all that inspiring. Barring a last-minute surprise, it seems that Mourinho is pinning all his hopes on either Olivier Giroud or Willian Jose.

Stylistically, Giroud is an ideal fit for a Mourinho team. He’s a classic target man who will occupy the attention of opposing central defenders. He’s been out of form this season at Chelsea, but he still represents a clear and obvious upgrade over Lucas. Tottenham fans will understandably be disgusted by his history at Arsenal, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue for the French mercenary.

Willian Jose doesn’t come with any issues over former club allegiance, but it’s unclear whether or not he has the goods to succeed in England’s top flight. Buying him would be a major risk for Tottenham. That’s likely why they’ve failed to make a sufficient bid for his services.

The final point here is that the tock is ticking loudly for Levy and the rest of the transfer committee at Tottenham. Failing to give Mourinho a striker to work with for the remainder of this season would be transfer malpractice. Then again, Spurs fans won’t be surprised by such a dismal transfer failure give the club’s recent history.