Tottenham Hotspur reinforced their attacking unit with the signings of Savio, Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk. They haven’t made an immediate impact for the Lilywhites in the Premier League, with Mudryk getting injured after his first game while Savio and Marmoush are yet to score a goal.
Spurs also wanted to sign a striker during the summer transfer window. Several players were being linked with a move to N17, but ultimately nothing happened. One of those was Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi.
Eli Junior Kroupi enjoyed a fine debut season at the Vitality Stadium, scoring 13 goals as he helped Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the very first time. The youngster is currently watching from the sidelines after he suffered a foot injury during pre-season, putting to bed any potential summer transfer rumours.
The Frenchman underwent surgery on a foot issue sustained during Bournemouth’s pre-season training camp in Austria back in July, thus ruling him out for a three- to four-month period in the process. Now that he is nearing a return from injury, recent reports suggest Tottenham could revive their interest in Kroupi when the transfer window reopens in January.
Tottenham could face competition from top European club for Bournemouth forward
Kroupi is working overtime in an effort to return to the pitch within the next few weeks. The versatile forward has made great progress since his foot surgery in the summer and is aiming to be back in action by the first week of November.
However, Spurs are unlikely to have an easy route to signing the 20-year-old. According to Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona are closely keeping tabs on Kroupi’s recovery. The Frenchman was on Barcelona’s radar this summer and is regarded highly by their sporting management.
The Catalans even contacted Kroupi’s representatives to explore the possibility of a move. The player’s injury halted their efforts to sign him, though only temporarily. Barcelona have continued to maintain contact with the forward’s representatives in order to remain well positioned, the report adds.
January exit highly unlikely
It’s not going to be easy for any club to convince Bournemouth to sell a player of Kroupi’s talent and potential, especially if they plan on making a move in the winter window. The former FC Lorient man has already shown an incredible amount of ability at such a young age, and there’s no doubt he’s got a huge future in the game.
The France Under-21 international will continue to have interest upon his return from injury. Tottenham, Barcelona and several other clubs will be closely monitoring how the forward performs after attaining full fitness from a fractured metatarsal.
From Spurs’ perspective, an attacking boost would massively help as Roberto De Zerbi and Co. struggle for goals, creativity and dynamism. A player like Kroupi would elevate Tottenham’s attack, but with Barcelona hovering around and the Cherries unlikely to entertain a mid-season departure, our club chiefs will face several roadblocks before signing the highly-rated talent.