Tottenham Hotspur fans were initially satisfied with the loan move for PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani. Though he started his Spurs career with the deadest of dead legs, the woodenness of his limb had recovered, and Kolo Muani was playing some good football, certainly better in terms of all around play than Richarlison.
Kolo Muani seemed to have sealed his status as the top guy at striker for Tottenham after a brilliant hat trick in a losing Champions League effort against parent club PSG, with some fans even clamoring for Johan Lange and Co. to begin permanent transfer negotiations.
But that purple patch lasted all too quickly, as Kolo Muani's play devolved into something worse than even Richarlison's bad days. Kolo Muani became lethargic and listless, a character who did not even care, to the point where he was reportedly asking for a cancellation of his loan move in the winter.
Randal Kolo Muani made the latest French squad
Lately, though, with Tottenham Hotspur in their moment of need, Kolo Muani is starting to show up. He assisted the winner against Liverpool last weekend and scored the opener against Atletico Madrid. And now, despite all his poor play these last few months, he has found himself in the official French national team squad for the March international break.
And therein lies the likely reason behind Kolo Muani's sudden return to scoring and assisting form, as well as the most compelling reason for the hired mercenary to actually care about Tottenham. If Kolo Muani can play well and help Spurs stay up, the French federation and manager Didier Deschamps will have to take notice and keep him in the World Cup squad this year.
Randal Kolo Muani is probably the weakest forward in the French team, and it is still surprising, even looking back, that he had such a key role in the last French World Cup squad in Qatar. But the French brass have taken a liking to Kolo Muani for some reason, and if he can avoid screwing it up by, you know, not giving a crap about his current club, then he should maintain his spot in the squad for the World Cup.
A selfish motivation in Tottenham's favor is certainly much better than no motivation at all, and if playing for Les Bleus in the Americas is what Kolo Muani needs to hear to start playing to the (relatively) high level he is capable of, then Spurs fans will gladly take that to the bank for these final few months.