There was a time when Tottenham were desperate for a striker.
With little to no backup for Harry Kane, Spurs were knocking on every door in search of a backup, eventually settling on Carlos Vinicius from Benfica.
The Brazilian has filled his role well when called upon, scoring three goals and getting three assists in five Europa League games, while also finding the back of the net three times in the FA Cup.
That’s allowed Kane to rest when needed and fully focus on the Premier League, much to José Mourinho’s delight.
However, we do wonder if things would have been different if Daniel Levy and co. were aware Edin Dzeko would be available this January, as Gazzetta dello Sport continue to look at what will come of the Bosnia international following his falling out with Paulo Fonseca.
Contracted in Rome until 2022, the 34-year-old isn’t on the best terms with his manager, and a way out was looked at this January.
Dzeko, though, is picky and ‘would only move for first-tier clubs’, leaving West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers hapless as he turned them down.
Other options were explored, with Gazzetta state there was ‘knocking on the doors’ at Manchester City, Tottenham, Barcelona and Real Madrid, although it’s only the last two who tried to get something done.
Spurs and City clearly weren’t interested, perhaps happy with their current options, or simply unwilling to commit to a player who will turn 35 in March and currently earns €7.5m/year.
Either way, a return to the Premier League doesn’t appear to be an option for Dzeko in January, and it seems like he might have to cohabit with Fonseca until the summer, at the very least.
