Tottenham Hotspur have significantly strengthened their backline and midfield units this summer, but who will be in charge of attacking midfield?
Roberto de Zerbi’s current centre-forward options still leave much to be desired, with Dominic Solanke having scored just 12 goals in the Premier League over the past two seasons, while Richarlison has scored just 27 goals since joining in 2022.
Considering the pair arrived for a total transfer fee of over £120m, that is simply not up to par and Spurs need to get things right when it comes to signing their next striker in north London.
By all accounts, it could be Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi. The 20-year-old could be the next big-money move in the centre-forward market.
Why Crupi compares it to last season’s Premier League striker signings
Midfield is currently the priority, but a year ago almost every team in the Premier League made a big push to sign a new striker, with varying degrees of success there.
Victor Gokeres certainly contributed to Arsenal’s title win and was the Gunners’ top scorer with 14 league goals, a number that was particularly comparable to Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and ahead of Chelsea’s Joao Pedro.
Crupi, who scored 13 goals, was not far behind when he arrived in England in 2025. The then-teenager joined from Lorient after scoring 22 goals in Ligue 2 the previous season.
Elsewhere, Benjamin Sesco and Hugo Ekitike each achieved double figures for Manchester United and Liverpool, but injuries and poor fitness limited £125m man Alexander Isak to just three league goals.
Crupi proved to be a highly effective impact player for the Cherries, ranking third behind Will Osla and Erling Haaland in goals per 90 compared to all Premier League players.
Premier League 25/26 – Goals per 90 | ||
|---|---|---|
player | Target P90 | the goal |
haaland | 0.82 | 27 |
Osra | 0.78 | 7 |
croup | 0.70 | 13 |
Sesco | 0.61 | 11 |
Thiago | 0.60 | twenty two |
Gokeres | 0.57 | 14 |
church | 0.57 | 2 |
fleming | 0.56 | 11 |
grind | 0.56 | 4 |
horse riding | 0.55 | 11 |
Crupi also missed only three “big chances”, while the likes of Gökeres and Calvert-Lewin missed 13 and 20 respectively, despite slightly surpassing the young man’s goal count.
Bournemouth have apparently secured a deal for the player for £12m, with reports suggesting he could now command as much as £90m.
From Spurs’ point of view, he looks worth the investment, but couldn’t De Zerbi get himself a deal instead?
How Spurs were able to sign ‘one of the best strikers in the world’
Crupi appears keen to join the north London side this summer, but the more pressing issue is likely to be finding an agreement over a transfer fee, with the Cherries unlikely to benefit from cheap money.
With interest from rivals also growing, De Zerbi and others appear to be planning potential replacements, with Dusan Vlahovic being said to be one on the agenda.
As pointed out by TEAMtalk, the Serbian striker is currently a free agent after leaving Juventus last month and is said to be a “back-up option” for Spurs should they lose against Crupi.
The 26-year-old was unable to agree a new contract with the Turin outfit, which is why he is currently on a free transfer, and any suitor has the chance to seal a deal with his signature.
Admittedly, Vlahovic remains “one of the best strikers in the world,” according to Italian great Luca Toni, although he probably doesn’t consistently receive enough recognition, having been a force in Serie A for such a long time.
Crupi is on the rise following his heroics in Ligue 2 the previous year, scoring 13 goals in the last Premier League, but he does not yet boast the same level of achievements as Vlahovic.
A strong 6ft 4in striker and a great left footer, he is a real weapon and a guy who when fit and shoots can be great.
Injuries limited him to just 11 starts in Serie A last season, but he still enjoyed a particularly productive end to the season, scoring seven goals for Juve’s strong side.
The former Fiorentina man, who has been in Italy since the 2018/19 season, scored double-digit goals in the league every year from the start of the 2020/21 season to the 2024/25 season, reaching his highest in the 2021/22 season when he scored 24 league goals.
His overall performance in Serie A has been excellent, with 94 goals in 221 games, while in all competitions he has scored 68 goals in 168 games for Juventus and 49 goals in 108 games for Florence.
The player has proven his quality over a long period of time, scoring 16 goals in just 41 games at international level, but perhaps he needs a fresh start after a long absence at the Allianz Stadium.
Crupi, 20, could manage to reach such heights given his form over the past two years, but much like Blachowicz, he doesn’t yet boast enough experience to suggest he’ll be here for the long term.
Of course, the Serbian’s recent injury history may be a concern, but it should be taken into account how powerful he is and he is the type of player who could be a decent physical focal point at the tip of Spurs’ attack.
