Tottenham Hotspur have some of the best young talent in the country. Truth be told, they always were.
Things have changed a lot since then when it comes to performance on the pitch, from the breakthrough of a young Harry Kane to Dele Alli’s insane performances in his early 20s to Gareth Bale’s world-class batsman.
Still, there is great hope for the future. In Archie Gray, Matheus Fernandes and Lucas Bergvall, there are three incredible young footballers waiting to explode in the Senor’s game.
Perhaps the most interesting player is Luka Vuskovic, who now looks likely to head to Brighton. It’s a sad end to a story in which he never actually played a competitive game for Tottenham’s first team.
That being said, no player is as exciting as Eli Junior Crupi. Spurs are seriously in the race to secure his signature. It’s probably their best coup for the whole window.
Why the Spurs want to sign Crupi
Why would the Spurs want to sign Crupi? Well, the club would be mad not to be interested in this extraordinary young French talent.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the forward, hailed by GOAL as ‘the next Mbappe’ even before he became a household name, is starting to live up to expectations in the Premier League.
A year ago, the teenager moved from Ligue 2 side Lorient to English top-flight side Bournemouth and hasn’t looked back.
Crupi cost the Cherries just £12m to sign, and they could make an incredible profit if he leaves this summer. It is thought he could leave the south coast in a huge £90m deal amid growing interest from Spurs. Understandably, Marco Rose doesn’t want to sell.
That’s perfectly reasonable. He is currently one of the best young players in Europe. Last season, at the age of 19, he became the first teenager to score 13 goals in his debut season in the Premier League. No one as young as him has ever done anything like that before.
He is very efficient in front of goal. Only four other strikers in the entire league had a higher conversion rate.
Highest conversion rate – Premier League 25/26 | |
|---|---|
player | conversion rate |
1) Will Osla | 30.4% |
2) Noah Okafor | 22.9% |
3) Danny Welbeck | 22.6% |
4) Nick Waltemaid | 22.6% |
5) i.e. junior croup | 22.0% |
Speedy, clinical and versatile, he is an attacker with the ability to become one of the best players in the world in the coming years. After all, in the words of Daniel Sturridge, he is already “one of the best finishers in the Premier League”. Statistics fully support that opinion.
If Roberto De Zerbi signs the up-and-coming French striker, will they also sign a forward? That seems likely.
Contracts the Spurs could make to complement Crupi
The Lilywhites have achieved something of a miracle in strengthening their midfield by signing Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a total of £185 million, beating out competition from some of Europe’s elite clubs.
Next is strengthening the front line. Crupi has been named, but he is not the only one. Spurs Area are also considering signing AC Milan winger Rafael Leao and Liverpool’s Codi Gakpo.
They are also continuing to consider signing Savinho from Manchester City. Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel this week: “Tottenham remain very interested in Savinho. It’s a name I talked about a long time ago, a few months ago. Tottenham continue to work on signing Savinho and are waiting for Manchester City’s decision. Do they want to let him go or not? Talks are continuing and Savinho is the next big name on the list.”
To be honest, on paper, this isn’t a move that causes much excitement. He scored just three goals for City last season and started just seven Premier League games.
Unfortunately, not all players should be judged within a limited amount of time. Because when he played regularly in the 2024/25 season, he was one of the most promising wide players in Europe.
Sabinho is a dream for any striker, let alone Crupi. He is not a goal-scoring wide player and focuses most of his efforts on creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates.
During his debut season in England, the 22-year-old provided 13 assists in all competitions. He ended his term as City’s top creator. Even the great Kevin De Bruyne couldn’t have recorded more assists.
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In terms of significant passes per 90 minutes, Sabinho completed 1.6. In that respect, only De Bruyne has a better score per 90 with 2.1. That kind of achievement would be music to the ears of Crupi and the Spurs striker.
A key pass is a pass that directly leads to a shot at the opponent’s goal.
The Brazilian is also one of the most progressive wingers. Last season, he ranked in the top 1% of players in similar positions in Europe in progressive carries per 90 with 7.45, and in the best 3% in overall progressive actions with a whopping 9.76.
Having such a fearless and creative winger in his side will be a huge boon for De Zerbi. Sure, Sabinho may not be a goalscorer, but he’s certainly good at creating chances. He would be the perfect complement to Crupi’s other potential reinforcement.
