Three years have passed since Harry Kane departed Tottenham Hotspur, and the north London club are still searching for a worthy successor through the middle.
Kane’s brilliance has only been further underscored by his stunning return of 146 goals in just 147 games at Bayern Munich since leaving Spurs.
The England captain is now considered Ballon d’Or contention material, making his absence from Tottenham feel even more significant in hindsight.
Back at N17, the attempts to fill that void have been costly and largely unsuccessful, with both Richarlison and Dominic Solanke failing to replicate anything close to Kane’s output.
Richarlison, signed for £60m from Everton, has managed just 27 goals in four seasons at the club, fewer than the 30 Kane scored in his final year alone.
Solanke, who cost £65m in 2024, has contributed only 12 league goals across two seasons and is now reportedly set for a surprise departure to Nottingham Forest.
Richarlison also appears likely to be sold before the transfer deadline, according to a Football FanCast exclusive, leaving Tottenham urgently needing a new striker.
Reports have linked the club with Victor Osimhen, but a trusted Tottenham insider indicates there is a deal to be done for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The 29-year-old Frenchman came close to joining AC Milan in January before staying to help Palace claim Conference League glory, yet his future at Selhurst Park remains uncertain.
Mateta has just one year remaining on his contract, meaning Palace are likely to sell rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer or at a reduced fee in January.
The reported fee connected to that failed Milan move was around £30m, which would represent outstanding value for a striker of his Premier League pedigree.
Wayne Rooney has described Mateta as “one of the best strikers in Europe,” a sentiment backed up by his consistent numbers in south London over recent seasons.
Since the start of 2023/24, Mateta has scored 42 Premier League goals, reaching double figures in each of those three campaigns under manager Oliver Glasner.
His tally of 12 goals from just 25 starts in 2025/26 further illustrates the kind of reliable, consistent finishing that Spurs have been desperately lacking at centre-forward.
In that same three-year period, Richarlison managed only 26 league goals while Solanke contributed 31, with neither striker demonstrating the kind of season-on-season reliability Mateta has shown.
The Frenchman’s physical presence, standing at 6 foot 4, also gives Spurs an aerial threat and hold-up option that has been missing since Kane’s departure to the Bundesliga.
His initial spell following his 2021 arrival from Mainz was underwhelming, but his transformation under Glasner turned him into one of the most dependable forwards in the Premier League.
At a potentially modest fee relative to modern transfer market valuations, Mateta represents a low-risk, high-reward solution to a problem that has plagued Spurs for three full seasons.
Tottenham have spent heavily in recent windows without finding the answer up front, and a smart, affordable signing of this kind could prove the decisive piece of the puzzle.
If Spurs can secure Mateta before the deadline closes, they may finally have the consistent Premier League goal machine capable of stepping out of Harry Kane’s considerable shadow.