Tottenham are now being linked with a reliable Premier League attacker as they look to replace Brennan Johnson this month. Spurs have had a frustrating last couple of months, failing to back up a solid start and sliding down to 14th in the Premier League table.
Thomas Frank is now under serious pressure to turn things around, and the January transfer window is going to be pivotal, especially after Spurs decided to sell Brennan Johnson for a discounted fee.
Johnson was not having the best of seasons, but he was a source of goals and creativity, and Tottenham do not have enough of those sources, especially with Dejan Kulusevski still sidelined.
Tottenham already arguably needed to sign an attacker this month, and instead of supplementing the front line, they now need to replace Johnson before they can even supplement it.
January is always an expensive window, especially for attackers, but it seems Tottenham are willing spend significant cash this month. One player they are now being linked with is Brentford star Kevin Schade, who has six goals and three assists in the Premier League this season.
According to Sky Germany, Schade is on Tottenham’s shortlist of attackers, but they face a reported asking price of £51million this month. The Bees are likely to be reluctant to sell given they have now climbed to fifth place, and Schade is central to that effort.
But as far as Tottenham are concerned, Schade may well fit the profile they are looking for. The German is already a proven Premier League player, still only 24 years of age and he is a versatile attacker, able to play across the front line.
Naturally, Frank was at Brentford when they signed Schade and worked with the German in West London.
Andrews on Schade
Speaking after Brentford’s 4-1 win over AFC Bournemouth recently when Schade scored a hat-trick, Bees boss Keith Andrews said: “Yeah, really pleased and one I feel he deserves. He works tirelessly for the team.
"It's an attribute that we insist on for our attacking players that they have to run back as quickly as they run forward. He's a constant threat. I feel like in the last couple of weeks he's been starting to get into really good positions and getting really really close and today was a really nice hat-trick right foot left foot header. So it doesn't come more complete than that. He was excellent today."
Schade transformed
Speaking back in February, Match of the Day commentator Tom Gayle described Schade as a ‘transformed’ player. He said: “With a full pre-season behind him, the fully fit Schade we now see is one of the most transformed players in the Premier League when it comes to end product.
“Seven goals and two assists speak volumes in terms of the turnaround. Yet it was clear to me watching at London Stadium, the 23-year-old's value isn't defined by those key metrics alone. He can play anywhere across the frontline and works tirelessly off the ball, which is essential for the Brentford high press.”