Spurs eyeing controversial move for “exceptional” £45m CF

It is fair to say that it has been a frustrating summer for Tottenham Hotspur and new head coach Thomas Frank since the transfer window opened for business.

In terms of first-team additions, Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United is the only new player to arrive in the building, along with permanent deals for last season’s players Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel.

The Lilywhites did think that they were on course to seal a deal to sign Nottingham Forest star and England international Morgan Gibbs-White to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

However, the Tricky Trees prepared legal action after what they deemed to be an unlawful approach from Spurs, and they have now agreed a new contract with the player.

Along with missing out on Gibbs-White, Tottenham may also lose captain Heung-min Son this summer amid interest from MLS outfit LAFC, who are willing to pay £15m for the attacker.

A decision will reportedly be made on his future after the club’s pre-season tour of Asia, but the Europa League champions are open to cashing in on him.

Why it could be the right time for Spurs to sell Heung-min Son

Son turns 34 next month and is reportedly the highest-paid player at the club on a wage of £190k-per-week, which means that the club would save a lot of money if they were able to move on from him this summer.

Due to his age, there has been a natural regression in his performances on the pitch for the Lilywhites. His return of 11 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign was his lowest goal tally since his first year in England in the 2015/16 season.

As you can see in the table above, Son has consistently delivered in front of goal for the majority of his career in England, but his powers are waning and now may be the right time to move on from him.

The South Korea international may not be able to get back to scoring 20 or more goals a season at the age of 34, given his decline last season, which is why the club should consider accepting the £15m offer from LAFC this summer.

Whilst it would be sad to see Son move on from Tottenham after ten years of service, his exit would create room for new heroes to emerge, and one of those new heroes could be a controversial figure.

Spurs eyeing swoop for Arsenal forward

According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham Hotspur are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a potential move to sign £45m Arsenal centre-forward Gabriel Jesus.

The report claims that Inter, Milan, Newcastle United, Barcelona, and Spurs are all keeping tabs on his situation at The Emirates, with a view to a possible swoop for his signature.

It adds, though, that a move in the January transfer window may be more realistic for the Brazil international, because he is currently sidelined with an ACL injury and is not expected back until around October.

This would be a controversial move because Spurs have only ever signed two players from Arsenal at first-team level in their history, William Gallas on a free transfer in 2010, and Laurie Brown all the way back in 1964.

However, Jesus has the potential to be an exciting addition to the squad if Frank can get him fit and firing, as he could be a dream replacement for Heung-min Son.

Why Spurs should sign Gabriel Jesus

If it gets to January and the Brazilian forward is fit and available to step in and play immediately, it is a deal that could be worth exploring for the Lilywhites because of the quality that he can provide on the pitch.

Like Son, Jesus is a versatile right-footed attacking player who is comfortable playing through the middle as a centre-forward or as a winger on the left flank, which means that he could slot in and play in the two main roles that the South Korean star currently plays.

There will, of course, be concerns over the fact that he currently plays for the club’s biggest rivals, Arsenal, but if the player is willing to make the move then it should be welcomed, as he is a Premier League-proven attacker who can make a big impact when fit.

Jesus has scored 76 goals and provided 45 assists in 229 matches for Manchester City and Arsenal combined in his Premier League career to date, which shows that the forward can offer quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old attacker has delivered 76 goals in 146 starts in his Premier League career, just shy of one every other start on average.

This shows that Jesus, who was once hailed as “exceptional” by Pep Guardiola, is a consistent and clinical goalscorer when fit and available, which is why signing him could be a worthwhile gamble for Spurs this summer or in January.

The Brazilian attacker could be Frank’s new Heung-min Son as another versatile attacking option who has the potential to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis when at his best.

At the age of 28, he is also almost six years younger than the South Korea international, which means that Spurs could get more out of him in the long-term if they decide to cash in on their captain in order to fund a controversial move for the Arsenal man.

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There may be a fair bit of opposition to this, due to the Arsenal part of it, but purely based on Jesus and his quality as a player, it could be a good move for Spurs as Frank’s next version of Son.