Report: Tottenham set to bid €20M for Bentaleb's fellow compatriot & Sporting's No.9

Tottenham are reportedly the frontrunners to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani, with the Portuguese press suggesting today that the North London side are closing in on a summer deal for the centre forward.

O Jogo have run on their front page that the Lisbon-based club are actively looking for a new striker currently, with Sporting conceding that the Algerian attacker is set to leave the Primeira Liga side this summer.

Fellow Portuguese newspaper A Bola also stated that Spurs were frontrunners for the striker’s signature, while West Ham and Leicester are being touted as fellow interested parties.

Spurs have been linked with Slimani sporadically over the last year, with the British media ramping up the claims over the weekend.

Just how credible the usually British daily papers are is questionable, but the slightly more reliable Sunday Times reported that Spurs were closing in on the African’s capture at the weekend.

With the reports in Portugal to back it up, this may actually be a transfer rumour that actually has an element of truth to it.

Slimani - pros and cons

Over the course of two seasons in Portugal, Slimani has proven himself as a striker that can score goals consistently when given the chance.

This season the Algerian has struck seven times in 11 starts for Sporting, while last term he was in-and-out of the starting XI and managed eight league goals.

Slimani’s World Cup performances are sure to have captured the eye and in truth it maybe was slightly surprising that there was not more interest in the 26-year-old after his exploits for Algeria in Brazil.

The striker is quick across the ground, has an eye for goal and a confidence that is exuded in his play, which are the ingredients for a centre forward that could well be a real success in England.

However, there is the age-old issue of the lottery of dipping into the foreign market, with the chance that the Algerian takes time to adjust to life at White Hart Lane - similar to a host of overseas players we brought to the club last summer.

The reported price tag is not cheap, with O Jogo claiming that Sporting will hang tough for €20 million if they are to see their star prized away, while the fact that he is not an automatic starter with the Portuguese side also a concern.

Spurs’ working relationship with Sporting is not ideal after we brought Eric Dier back to England in the summer, with the Portuguese club said to be difficult to deal with - this was also proven in Manchester United’s prolonged acquisition of Marcos Rojo.

Verdict

In my opinion, if Daniel Levy can barter a more appealing price than €20 million, Slimani could well be a good signing.

He has all the attributes to be a success, while he is not a complete superstar that has to play every single game and as such won’t disrupt the progress of main man Harry Kane, but could well be an excellent back-up option or partner for the homegrown hero.

At 26 Slimani still arguably has his best years ahead of him, while his showings at the World Cup were impressive.

Although I’d love to see Spurs try and sign someone like Alexandre Lacazette instead, if Slimani was brought to the club in the summer and Emmanuel Adebayor was shipped out, I’d say it would be a win-win situation.

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Adebayor shipped out? What about starting with the soldier???

 

The only person I'm really currently excited to see partner Kane up front is Wayne Rooney. This could be a great England pairing for next couple of years...

 

Are you kidding???? Are you a Manc Fan too?? Rooney is way off base compared to our H. Besides if the attitude of the England captain is 'take a dive' AND take the penalty - i have NO interest in the england side. What sort of example is that to future youngsters?? The guy's attitude stinks nurtured and encouraged by one A Ferguson.

 

In fairness to Shrek , im not sure how Kane would be doing if he was playing central midfield .. On another note , for those not too keen on our gaffer , what do you make of Van Gaal so far considering the money spent .. They,ve been shocking in my opinion ... A lot of our fans were major pissed when he ended up going there .. Levy,s fault again apparently .. Early days for both to be fair and things can change fast but our fella has had a decent start especially taking into account the money spent and the squads inherited ..

 

Actually i dont like VG. Turned into another Ferguson. Thats the Manc attitude for ya !!!

 

I see your point Degsy, but let's face it this pairing is going to happen whether we like it or not. HK WILL be playing for England in next selection and they won't drop Rooney as captain. Granted Rooneys attitude stinks at times but he is talented and there will be some great link up play IMO

 

Looks a promising player but 20mil??
Also noted that all most all his goals come from wing play and crosses something we barely do.

 

And whats all this talk of Rooney? Who cares?
The England team is a totally lost cause thats about 15yrs behind actual top nations.
HK for Spurs not that shower !!!!

 

We need someone to support kane up front. Certainly not Rooney and definitely not Adebayor.

 

The youtube of Slimani offers no basis for judging him. The opposition was dreadful. Service to him was spot-on and he was often unmarked.

 

Personally if were not buying big then we should be looking at Ings think he would complement Kane and fits the mould of a Poch player for the system.