Lucas Alario is the Latest Striker Linked to Tottenham

Some reports have linked Tottenham to yet another striker, this time it’s Lucas Alario.

With only one out-and-out center-forward on Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, it’s not surprising that Tottenham will seemingly be linked to an abundance of strikers until the end of the summer transfer window.

For instance, Lucas Alario who currently plays for River Plate in the Argentine Primera División, is the latest name to be on Pochettino’s radar according to multiple reports. Tottenham Hotspur Blog News (THBN) wasn’t the original source to break the news, but they did a good job of giving out vital information.

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At the moment, it’s hard to figure out why Tottenham have randomly shown interest in a player that they didn’t have their eyes on, up until now.

The last time that Alario’s name was mentioned, happened this past April when Liverpool were mentioned by the Mirror as Jürgen Klopp was, or still is, supposedly eyeing the Argentine striker.

The only problem standing in the Reds’ way would be third-party ownership issues which sees the 23-year-old’s economic rights belonging to both River Plate and CA Colón. Because the Premier League has banned third-party ownership, it makes a deal tricky for Tottenham or any other club pursuing the Argentine forward.

Based on the Argentinian’s numbers last season, Lucas Alario made the most of his opportunities as he bagged six goals in 13 league games (the Argentine Primera División only has 16 games from February until May).

In all competitions, Alario scored 11 goals in 26 appearances. It shows that the 23-year-old has a knack for scoring. It remains to be seen if he can produce in the Premier League, but the Mirror did note that one of Lucas Alario’s strengths was providing River Plate with key goals at crucial times.

So despite a slight frame which sees him standing at only 5’10”, adjusting to England’s physical style of play is inevitable for any footballer who decides to play in the Premiership from abroad.

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That being said, an intelligent player who reads the game well — two other strengths that the Mirror highlights from Alario’s game — should help him succeed and cover for his lack of height and physical strength.

Now that we have gone over the Argentine’s stats from last season, it’s time to look at another number: his transfer fee.

Again, referencing the Mirror’s article from this past April, when Liverpool were seen as a destination for the uncapped Argentine international, Lucas Alario was valued at £9.5 million.

This doesn’t take into account the other costs such as River’s 30 percent share in Alario’s rights which they were hoping (if they haven’t already) bought another 30 percent worth £950,000 in May. Colón, who owns the rest (40 percent), was said to be seeking £4 million for the remaining share.

But how does this all affect Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham? Based on THBN’s article up top, Spurs are ready to trigger Lucas Alario’s release clause which would cost £12.58 million.

It’s hard to figure out if paying the release clause will clear up the third-party issues or not, but at the moment, the fee fits nicely into Daniel Levy’s wheelhouse for a bargain-bin-like deal. However, this doesn’t mean that it will be the final amount with how strikers are now being over valued with each passing year.

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To be honest, this latest transfer rumor is nothing but idle speculation at the moment. Unlike Michy Batshuayi, Vincent Janssen and maybe even Antonio Sanabria, Tottenham have actually showed strong interest in the these three strikers.

But for Lucas Alario, It seems quite random. It could be argued that because Mauricio Pochettino is seeking center-forwards to add more attacking options up front to go along with Harry Kane, that just about any striker who is remotely available will be linked to Tottenham.

And that certainly has been the case lately, but this rumor is just that. A rumor.