Thomas Frank should look to Nottingham Forest instead of Brentford for his next transfer.
Tottenham’s first major transfer battle of the summer window looks set to be a failure as Manchester United close in on signing Bryan Mbeumo for up to £65 million meaning Thomas Frank must look elsewhere, and a Nottingham Forest star could be the perfect alternative.
Spurs fans would still rather have the 2024/25 Europa League title than Mbeumo but must be disappointed that even Champions League qualification next season wasn’t enough to sway Mbeumo, while it remains to be seen exactly how he’ll even fit into Ruben Amorim’s system alongside Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha.
Tottenham have made three signings so far this summer but none of them are really new arrivals - Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel have made their loan moves permanent in north London while Luka Vuskovic’s deal to sign this transfer window was agreed all the way back in 2023.
But Anthony Elanga could be the perfect man to break that drought, valued at £60m by Nottingham Forest boasting a proven ability to light up the Premier League and produce in the final third, he’d supercharge Spurs’ attacking quartet if they can beat Newcastle to the Swede’s signature.
Elanga can bring the best out of Solanke
Dominic Solanke may have scored less than half his 2023/24 Premier League goal tally in his debut season at White Hart Lane, but he did it in over 1,000 less minutes and his underlying numbers show he actually had a pretty similar season in front of goal, just with more limited opportunities.
His goals per shot (0.16-0.14), shots on target (33%-40.7%), expected goals (0.53-0.45), xG per shot (0.16-0.17) and goals minus xG (-0.02 to -0.08) were all pretty similar from 2023/24-2024/25 and his average shot distance also stayed almost exactly the same - Solanke was slightly less clinical but certainly not by 50%.
So Frank, who oversaw the development of Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Mbeumo into elite finishers for the Bees plus Teemu Pukki at Brondby, certainly shouldn’t give up on Solanke yet, and adding an assist machine like Elanga should help Tottenham’s record signing rediscover his best form.
He created 11 and scored six in the Premier League last season and was one of the most fouled players in the division but it’s not like Elanga is Nicolas Jackson in front of goal either - just ask Manchester United fans after their former academy player scored a scorching goal against the Red Devils in April showcasing everything managers want from an elite winger.
The 34km/h ball-carrying speed to leave Patrick Dorgu trailing in Elanga’s wake, the strength, poise and balance to ride out a desperate blundering Alejandro Garnacho challenge, the guile that prevented Andre Onana’s two remaining defenders committing until too late then that unstoppable sliding shot across the goalkeeper.
Elanga isn’t the world-class marksman yet - averaging a goal every four shots on target, but he has the tools to make that step up with a shot accuracy of 54.5% that ranked him as the fifth best forward in the Premier League at hitting the target last season.
And £60m will look like a bargain if he can add more regular goalscoring to his game alongside the assists, but can Frank land the 23-year-old?
Tottenham’s secret weapon to beat Magpies to Elanga
While £60m could turn out to be a steal, it’s also a fair amount of risk as the Swede is nowhere near the finished article as someone like Mbeumo, who will move for a similar price this summer after a 20-goal Premier League campaign
That figure is inflated primarily by the three years remaining on Elanga’s current contract (Mbeumo has one) and also by his age - having only just turned 23 he’s almost three years younger than the Cameroonian.
Meanwhile Newcastle are chasing him potentially as a pseudo-replacement for Anthony Gordon who could depart for Arsenal or Liverpool this summer (or Tottenham, though he’d stretch Daniel Levy’s budget even accounting for Champions League revenue).
However, Thomas Frank could point to his impressive developmental track record to convince Elanga while Spurs have less Profit and Sustainability Rules headaches this window with an estimated allowable loss that’s over three times that of Newcastle.
And that could make the difference especially if the Magpies hold onto Gordon and their other main retention targets including Alexander Isak and Tino Livramento.
Meanwhile Tottenham have vacancies on both wings as Son Heung-min continues into his 30s and Anthony Elanga, not Mbeumo, could be the dream man to fill them.
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