Despite adding Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, James Maddison, and Brennan Johnson over the past two years under manager Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham attack has been underperforming in the 2024/25 campaign. Son Heung-min doesn't quite have the same pep in his step, while Solanke has struggled to score with the same consistent as in 2023/24 with the Cherries.
Tottenham could be looking to inject more goals into their attack this summer. Signing another striker is a possibility, though it seems more likely that Spurs will stick with Solanke for another year. Johnson has supplied a team-high 11 goals from the wing but with little else. Mathys Tel is an easy permanent transfer to make but too young to be considered a top scoring winger.
According to a report from Sky Sports's Lyall Thomas, Tottenham have joined fellow Premier League powerhouses Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester United as players interested in Brentford right winger Bryan Mbeumo, arguably the biggest attacking breakout star in the English top flight this season. Per Thomas, the Bees are in no rush to sell Mbeumo this summer and have set a valuation above 60 million pounds for the 25-year-old forward.
Bryan Mbeumo can actually help Tottenham
A year after spending 65 million pounds and in need of sales in order to buy, Tottenham are not likely to spend that much money on a player this year. But if they do sell players for a sufficient amount of money, it is plausible they could make a plunge for one proven Premier League commodity to juice up their attack if they win the Europa League over Manchester United and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Mbeumo is one of the few players who, on paper, makes sense for Tottenham. If you are going to build a way forward with an all-around No. 9 like Solanke, then you are going to need to get a lot of goals from the wings. And in turn, Solanke has the skill-set to help a rotation of trigger-happy wingers like Son, Mbeumo, Tel, and Johnson get their goals.
Going after Mbeumo would, however, leave Dejan Kulusevski as an odd man out. Kulu has been a key player for Tottenham and beloved by most fans since joining from Juventus. A standout in Serie A and even the league's best young player at Parma before starting in Turin, Kulusevski has worn many hats at Tottenham, even starting as a pretty decent box-to-box midfielder in a pinch this season.
The problem with Kulusevski is he's just not able to provide the explosive one-on-one ability or goal-scoring end product that a team like Tottenham needs in order to secure top-five finishes in a devilishly competitive Premier League. To wit, Kulusevski has not provided more than 11 goal contributions in a season in his last three Premier League campaigns. Mbeumo, on the other hand, is at 18 goals and 6 assists for a Brentford side that was far less expensive to put together.
It's hard to say that Tottenham should get rid of Kulusevski, and it is impossible to deny that he is a good footballer. Kulusevski is a talented progressor and a decent creator who works hard for Spurs. But it's becoming more clear that Kulusevski is a rotational midfielder and winger, rather than someone who can start every game and score the 10 goals and 10 assists per season that Spurs would need from a starting winger to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City every year.
Tottenham pursuing Mbeumo this summer is a big "if" from a financial perspective, but "if" they were to make a play for the Brentford superstar, then Kulusevski would almost certainly be on his way out, along with other sellable attacking assets like Richarlison. Only then would Spurs have the financial and squad space clear for a weekly starting, goal-getting right winger like Mbeumo. The fact that Spurs are being linked isn't clear-cut evidence, but it should be taken by Kulusevski as a small, potential storm cloud brewing along the horizon.