Fulham Nixes Tottenham’s Pursuit of Striker

It would appear as if Tottenham’s interest in Fulham striker Moussa Dembélé won’t be anything more than that for the time being.

Fulham have reportedly told Tottenham that they need to retain Dembélé for the duration of the season as they continue to try and find a foothold in the Championship. This, clearly, is not the news Tottenham were hoping for.

At 19-years-old, the Frenchman is right in Tottenham’s preferred age range for incoming players. While the club is gradually shifting toward a model that would emphasize talent produced in the academy, occasional dips into the transfer market are inevitable. When they are made, though, the club has shown a clear preference for youth.

Dele Alli has been the poster child for this policy. The then-18-year-old was first signed from League One’s MK Dons on the final day of last January’s transfer window, but then immediately loaned back to the club as part of the deal. That allowed the Dons to retain one of their better players in their (successful) push for promotion into the Championship, and it allowed Tottenham to secure the rights to a talented player before other clubs might attempt to do so in the following summer.

More from Tottenham Transfer Rumours

• Tottenham’s Pierre Hojbjerg to Manchester United transfer rumour
• Tottenham transfer window state of the union
• Tottenham Hotspur sends two players out on loan
• Tottenham’s striker search continues: Brennan Johnson update
• Tottenham’s pursuit of a 21-year-old Gift heats ups

Many assumed that by approaching Fulham in January for Dembélé that Tottenham were attempting to replicate some of the same success they had with Alli. The fact that Dembélé’s contract is due up in the summer only added credence to that idea. Tottenham might be able to sneak in ahead of the many other clubs rumored to be interested in Dembélé – among which supposedly include Manchester United and Juventus – while also offering Fulham their star player back in return on a temporary basis.

Fulham currently sit 19th in the 24-team Championship standings with only four points separating them from the drop zone. Dembélé hasn’t exactly been wildly prolific so far this season, but he is scoring goals. In 26 appearances for the club this season, he’s scored nine and set up two more. That kind of production isn’t amazing, but it’s also better than a lot of the club’s other players have offered so far.

On the surface, that is an easy fix. Tottenham could just loan Dembélé back and he could continue to help with the Cottagers’ fight for survival. It worked with Alli, it should work here too.

The problem is fairly obvious to most Tottenham fans by now: half the reason the club would be interested in Dembélé now is because the club need a proper striker to cover for Harry Kane should the England striker ever go down injured. While that concern has been lingering on the periphery for the entire season, now that Tottenham seem to be preparing to at the very least compete for a long-awaited Champions League place, it is slowly sliding into the forefront. With less than a week left in the January transfer window, if anything is going to happen it needs to happen now.

Mauricio Pochettino has dismissed the assumption that a striker needs to be brought in the in the not-so-distant past however, and there’s every reason to believe that with the likes of Nacer Chadli and Heung-min Son that the club should be able to survive should the unthinkable happen with Kane.

Next: Spurs' Vertonghen Out for Eight Weeks

Still, having someone like Dembélé in reserve would not hurt things in the slightest. As the days tick down till Monday’s deadline, it could become a scenario in which Tottenham offer Fulham an offer too sweet to decline. Considering the club will get precisely nothing if they allow his contract to expire in the summer, the scales might be easily tipped in Tottenham’s direction.

For the time being, though, there will be no movement. Things can change quickly though.