As harsh as it may sound, Randal Kolo Muani will be remembered as one of the worst loan signings in Tottenham's modern history.
In any other season, the nonchalant French forward would've been consigned to the backbenches, accepting that things just didn't work out in a fresh environment. However, with Spurs' options so limited in attack, multiple managers were forced to persist with a player so clearly bereft of self-belief.
He has a fairly glittering CV, with stints at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus complementing an appearance in the 2022 World Cup final, having scored in France's semi-final win over Morocco. Memorably, it was Kolo Muani who had the chance late on in extra time to dash Lionel Messi's dream, but his well-struck volley was experly saved by Argentina's Emiliano MartÃnez.
He wasn't fancied by Luis Enrique, whose lucid judgment has guided PSG to back-to-back Champions League crowns, but a useful loan spell at Juve convinced many Spurs supporters that Kolo Muani would be a handy option for Thomas Frank in N17.
Instead, the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward embarked on a bleak campaign littered with only fleeting highs.
Kolo Muani set to remain among elites despite terrible loan
It was a loan spell so poor that it had us longing for Timo Werner.
Kolo Muani scored just one Premier League goal in 30 appearances, albeit in the North London Derby, and just five in 41 games across all competitions. His output was woeful, but you can overlook final third woes if there's something else to get behind.
For the Frenchman, there was little else to support. While his attitude shifted after Roberto De Zerbi arrived and it looked like he could garner cult hero status after a spirited performance at Villa Park, Kolo Muani then endured a wretched conclusion to the season as Spurs fought for safety.
Often, the 27-year-old performed as if he was still learning the fundamentals of the sport. The basics eluded him, with straight-line running all he was good for. Erroneous technique led to far too many clumsy sequences, hindering a Spurs attack that was on its knees due to injuries.
Despite failing to make the grade in Paris after a big-money move from Frankfurt, he is surely far better than whatever imposter rocked up in north London. De Zerbi tried his utmost to restore the Frenchman's confidence, but to no avail. You can count the number of performances on one hand when Kolo Muani looked like an elite-level footballer.
Still, Juve were smitten last year. After failing to reach an agreement with PSG last summer, they're going back in for Kolo Muani. They don't care about what he produced in the Premier League, given that Igor Tudor was able to coax more than mere competence out of him during his temporary Turin stay.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Kolo Muani has agreed personal terms with the Bianconeri. Club-to-club talks are ongoing.
Supporters are probably surprised that Kolo Muani has been to fail upwards, with Juve, while no longer an outstanding team, one of the grandest institutions in European football. They'll be in next season's Europa League, while Spurs, off the back of consecutive 17th-place finishes, will merely hope for a stress-free campaign at the start of Roberto De Zerbi's project.
That seems unlikely, given the Italian's nature.
Add us as a preferred source on Google