After a season full of promising moments, Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur have turned their attention to beating North London rivals Arsenal away from the pitch to land a future star.
Tottenham transfer news
Several names have already been linked with the Lilywhites ahead of the summer transfer window, with a replacement for Harry Kane seemingly among the priorities. The forward left a gaping hole in Postecoglou's squad last summer when he left for Bayern Munich and that gap is yet to be filled. And has good as Hueng-min Son and Richarlison have been, Spurs still lack an out and out focal point.
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With that said, the likes of Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak have been the names in the headlines recently. Two players who know exactly how to find the back of the net in the Premier League, Spurs would be wise to go after either of the forwards this summer, especially if they want to bridge the gap on the Premier League's top four and reach the knockout stages of the Champions League once again.
It's not just the present squad that those in North London are thinking about, however. According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, Spurs are interested in 16-year-old wonderkid Vakhtang Salia alongside Arsenal and Manchester City this summer. The Georgian has been described as the next Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has been linked with the Premier League in the past after becoming a star at Napoli.
Salia is currently at Kvaratskhelia's former club Dinamo Tbilisi and has already made starts for the first-team and found the back of the net twice, despite still being just 16-years-old. Now, he could follow a similar path to his compatriot by moving to a club in one of Europe's top leagues.
Negotiations will be tough for Spurs ahead of clubs in Manchester City's and Arsenal's position, but they will hope that Postecoglou's project makes for a convincing pitch if they go ahead with a deal.
Salia can follow Kane path
Whilst Spurs may not find the next Kane within their own academy, Salia has certainly earned the reviews to become exactly that if they can bring him in. The so-called next Kvaratskhelia could follow the path of Kane to legend status if he rose through the ranks at Spurs.
Given that Georgia are even considering handing the teenager a call up to their Euro 2024 squad this summer too, this seems like a deal Spurs should do everything to avoid missing out on. Whatever Salia's current valuation is, it is only likely to go up if he gets an opportunity on the biggest stage in the coming months.
What's more, these rumours highlight the impressive work done off the pitch to consider both the current squad and future side. Postecoglou's project is still in its early stages, but even if the Lilywhites miss out on top four this season, there's plenty of signs that Spurs' patience will be rewarded in the next few years, as the Australian's quest to lower the age of their squad and recruits goes on.
