Tottenham have made a huge splash in the transfer market this summer, already spending more than £200 million as Roberto De Zerbi continues his mission to rebuild the squad ahead of the new season.
Spurs have completed major deals for Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and experienced goalkeeper Martin Dubravka have joined as free agents.
Despite the impressive recruitment, uncertainty still surrounds a number of players. Lucas Bergvall has attracted interest from other clubs, while captain Cristian Romero continues to be linked with potential moves to Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
Tottenham are also searching for more firepower in attack. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo is reportedly on their radar, alongside Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup. Manchester City’s Savinho and Chelsea forward Pedro Neto have also been considered, although Savinho is believed to be De Zerbi’s preferred target.
Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Carlton Cole, however, believes Tottenham should prioritise signing a proven goalscorer rather than another wide player.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Cole argued that Spurs need a striker capable of regularly producing around 20 Premier League goals per season. He identified Al Ahli forward Ivan Toney as a potential solution and even suggested Tottenham could explore the possibility of bringing Harry Kane back to North London.
Cole also questioned whether Spurs’ current forwards can be relied upon, pointing to Dominic Solanke’s fitness issues and Richarlison’s inconsistent goalscoring record.
Toney has been prolific since moving to Saudi Arabia from Brentford in 2024. The England international has scored 72 goals in 93 appearances for Al Ahli, including 32 goals last season, finishing second in the Saudi Pro League scoring charts behind Julian Quinones.
The 30-year-old remains contracted to Al Ahli until 2028 and is reportedly earning around £400,000 per week. Any attempt by Tottenham to bring him back to England would therefore require a significant financial investment.
Toney also has a memorable history with Arsenal, something that has made him a popular figure among some Tottenham supporters. After Brentford’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in 2021, he posted a cheeky message on social media that quickly became famous.
Mikel Arteta later used the incident as motivation ahead of the return fixture, which Arsenal won 3-0. Gabriel Magalhães subsequently appeared to return the favour by repeating Toney’s famous line after a similar gesture from Alexandre Lacazette in an earlier meeting.
Toney later admitted that the situation became embarrassing, despite initially finding it funny. He considered responding but ultimately chose not to, accepting that Arsenal had been the better side on the day.
Interestingly, Toney has also admitted to admiring Arsenal’s style of football. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2023, he revealed that while Liverpool have been his boyhood club, he has enjoyed watching Arsenal because of their football and passionate fanbase.
Liverpool, however, remains Toney’s number one club.
