Tudor could unearth the new Spurs version of Harry Kane that Arsenal wanted

Igor Tudor’s first interview as Tottenham Hotspur’s interim manager confirmed two things. The Croatian manager is unfazed by the enormity of the task ahead of him and is determined to adopt a more front-footed style than his predecessor Tomas Frank.

Supporters have lost any attacking intent this season, and more cynical observers will point to a sustained slump caused by the repeated sales of top forwards.

Finding a new Harry Kane is easier said than done, but it’s something Tudor and Spurs will need to attempt over the coming months if they want to avoid the threat of relegation and regain their form in the Premier League.

Why Spurs need to find a new Harry Kane

Dominic Solanke has scored four goals in 11 games since returning from injury in January. The England striker is a strong central player and makes a huge difference up front for the ship.

But he is no Kane and it is clear that they need a next-level goalscorer like Kane or Son Heung-min to finally get back to the top end of the table.

New hopes rest on Randal Kolo Muani’s bounce-back at Tudor’s helm, with the struggling loanee scoring five goals in 11 games for Juventus under the 47-year-old last season. It’s not something to hang on to, and it would be unwise to expect Matthijs Tell to magically reach the ceiling of his potential now that Frank has been fired.

Neither of these players may be in north London next season and Spurs need immediate relief to pull themselves away from the bottom of the Premier League table, but they also need to revive their identity and get their fan base back on side.

To do that, they need to find another academy star like Kane who can develop alongside the senior members of the team.

While this option may feel like it won’t be considered until next season after the summer transfer window ends, Tudor may actually find that he has a candidate in his squad who has the potential to become an elite centre-forward by following a similar path to what Kane once took before him.

Spurs’ young player could become Kane 2.0

In January, Tottenham signed James Wilson from Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, beating north London rivals Arsenal. But this isn’t the first time in recent memory that they’ve stolen a march on their noisy neighbors.

Back in early January, Mason Melia arrived in London. The Ireland Under-21 international established himself in the Republic of Ireland with St Patrick’s Thistle, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 76 Premier Division games.

Tottenham signed him as a youth player a year ago for a potential Irish record fee of £3 million, but he stayed at home until his 18th birthday and signed with the Premier League team last month.

However, while Melia is not playing competitively in any capacity as he recovers from an injury, Tudor must have quickly recognized the player’s potential, as ENIC Group have taken the decision to keep the 18-year-old for the rest of the season on N17 rather than loan him out.

reason? Spurs want to help him integrate into the first team, and if he recovers quickly from the back injury that ruled him out, he could replace struggling players like Kolo Muani, whose loan deal didn’t work out.

Importantly, Melia is similar to Kane in that, despite his youth, he has a wealth of experience on the senior stage and will earn his first chance in Spurs’ first team. He also played in 12 games in the conference league qualifying rounds, scoring one goal.

Kane is one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of English football, and his record in the Premier League is only surpassed by Alan Shearer, who actually trails him in goals per game rate.

There are some interesting similarities. In the 2013/14 season, Andres Villas-Boas was sacked in December and Tim Sherwood took over as manager.

It was under Sherwood that Kane was given his chance. Roberto Soldado proved a failure, starting just four of the club’s final 17 Premier League games this season. It was then that Kane stepped up and scored his first three goals for England’s first team. He will continue to score more goals.

Is Melia a new version of a Londoner? Although it’s too early to say anything like that with any certainty, Melia is touted as having great achievements, and has even been hailed as “Ireland’s Alexander Isaac” by GOAL’s Seann Walsh, as he is an ambitious and capable runner with skill, athleticism and deadly finishing.

He may respect Kane, but it may be a good thing that Melia is developing into a different brand of striker. He practiced his style under Tudor at Tottenham and, after a few years of failure as a No. 9, he rose to prominence by stepping up and becoming the striker Spurs needed.