Tottenham tracking Toulouse attacker Wissam Ben Yedder
Published:Tottenham, 3/1 chances for a top four finish with Coral, are tracking Toulouse frontman Wissam Ben Yedder, and could launch a £5m January bid for his services, as Mauricio Pochettino is short on attacking options.
Recent reports in tabloid gossip columns have linked Spurs with a steady stream of strikers. First, club chairman Daniel Levy was rumoured to have set aside £15m to make a winter window offer for West Bromwich Albion’s Burundi-born England Under-21 international Saido Berahino, and then diminutive Italy forward Sebastian Giovinco was touted for a free transfer from Juventus.
Ben Yedder, 24, is only a couple of inches taller than Giovinco at 5ft 7 but, for all those doubts Tottenham fans will have over his stature, he has netted six times in nine Ligue 1 outings so far this season. Only France internationals Alexandre Lacazette and Andre-Pierre Gignac have scored more in that division.
A native of Sarcelles, a northern outer suburb of Paris, Ben Yedder is of Tunisian descent, and is yet to be capped at senior international level by either them or Les Bleus. He did earn three France Under-21 caps in 2012, but failed to find the target.
Spurs’ strikeforce, Emmanuel Adebayor, Harry Kane and £26m flop Roberto Soldado, have only scored six goals between them across all competitions. That is as many as Ben Yedder has managed on his own.
Toulouse are eighth in Ligue 1, one of a cluster of sides on 14 points, which includes former French champions Lyon and Montpellier. Tottenham, meanwhile, sit sixth and just outside a Champions League place on goal difference.
Consistent links to strikers suggests Pochettino may not be happy with just three forwards to choose from to lead the Spurs line. At Southampton, however, the Argentine coach managed with a similar number to select up front, and lost Jay Rodriguez to injury and loaned out record signing Dani Osvaldo last season.
Up next for Tottenham is a tough trip to Premier League champions Manchester City. Spurs are 5/1 to come away from the Etihad with all three points.
