Tottenham Eyeing Dutch Striker for Summer Transfer

Tottenham’s saga of finding a long term understudy to starting striker Harry Kane added a new chapter over the weekend as rumors surfaced of a possible link to Feyenoord youngster Ocanzan Kokcu.

The Sun first passed on the rumor that Tottenham were in for the 18-year-old. Everton are also reportedly keeping tabs on Kokcu.

While it’s important to stress Kokcu’s age and lack of experience, such rumors serve as an implicit admission of fault in last summer’s transfer window.

Around this time last season the club were undergoing a similar search. Against all reason, Tottenham began the 2015/16 campaign without a proper backup to Kane. Thankfully for Mauricio Pochettino and company, the England striker stayed healthy and prolific throughout the season.

Tempting fate a second time was not an option however. A second striker was a top priority coming into last summer, and after some effort a deal was made for another Dutch striker, Vincent Janssen.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a fabulously successful debut season with AZ Alkmaar just as Kane was enjoying his own Golden Boot campaign. Spending £18.5 for such a promising player seemed like a bargain.

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That the Sun and other periodicals are now spreading rumors of Tottenham’s interest in other strikers undermines that original impression though. Janssen, it’s safe to say, is struggling to settle in English football. Pochettino hinted at a possible two striker system combining both Kane and Janssen, but the experiment sputtered more often than it hummed.

The Dutchman’s performances when Kane went down injured were similarly fruitless and discouraging. While patience is certainly a virtue, few could blame the club for testing the waters for more options.

In Kokcu Tottenham might have their perfect option. Youth and lack of minutes have hardly dissuaded Pochettino before. What’s more, the youngster’s contract with Feyenoord expires in the summer. Should Tottenham successfully acquire his signature, it would come at the fraction of the cost of Janssen’s last summer.

In this was Kokcu can be lumped in with the likes of Moussa Dembélé, Sandro Ramirez and Jean-Kévin Augustin. All three strikers, from Fulham, Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain respectively, were up on their contracts over the last year. Tottenham were linked with all three and, for one reason or another, declined to make a move.

Dembélé and Sandro went on to find stunning success with other clubs. Celtic and Malaga will both likely sell on their young prodigies for much more than the relative pittance they paid for them. Augustin remains at PSG but could still earn a move elsewhere.

Perhaps recognizing these missed chances for what they are, Tottenham could be inspired to act fast on Kokcu. Even if he might not immediately be able to slot into the starting XI, the club would have a young and promising prospect to add to their youth ranks. Should he succeed there he can reliably count on a call up to the first team, just like Harry Winks and Cameron Carter-Vickers before him.

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Janssen’s story at Spurs is far from over of course. The biggest risk his compatriot Kokcu might present is some long term healthy competition. Still, this rumor suggests just how cognizant the club is of holes that still need plastering over.