Tottenham 'naive' not to sign Harry Kane replacement in January, says Les Ferdinand
Former Tottenham star Les Ferdinand believes the club were "naïve" not to sign a striker in January.
Jose Mourinho finds himself desperately short of forward options, with both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son expected to be out for the majority of the remainder of the season.
Kane has not featured since rupturing a hamstring tendon against Southampton on New Year’s Day, an injury that prompted Spurs to look for a replacement during last month’s transfer window, with Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Real Sociedad’s Willian Jose among their targets.
No move materialised, leaving Son expected to shoulder the burden, only for the Korean to suffer a broken arm in the win against Aston Villa earlier this month. And while Ferdinand has sympathy for Mourinho, he feels the club ultimately have themselves to blame.
“I think they tried and who they tried to get they weren't able to,” Ferdinand told Standard Sport. “There's not a great deal out there that you're going to bring in to make you much better.
“But people probably look at that and say ‘Why didn't you go and buy one?’. Yes, Son was on fire at the time, so perhaps they were thinking that it wasn't too much of a problem. But unfortunately he's got injured and now it seems a little naïve.”
Spurs’ lack of depth up front is not a new issue, with Mauricio Pochettino having relied upon Fernando Llorente as his only back-up for Kane last season before the Spaniard left to join Napoli as a free agent in the summer without being replaced.
It has been suggested that Kane’s status as first-choice number nine makes it difficult for the club to bring in another world-class option without the promise of a regular leading role, but Ferdinand does not buy into that narrative.
“Listen, football's changed,” he added. “In the past, when I was at Newcastle and I played with Alan Shearer, when I went back to Tottenham and I played with Teddy [Sheringham], most teams were playing 4-4-2. Now they're playing with that single striker.
“But you need to believe in your own ability that you're good enough to go and play. I always think if the two strikers are good enough they're going to play anyway, you're going to find a way to get them into the team.”
Les Ferdinand is supporting the Football to Amsterdam 2020 bike ride in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. For more information go to prostatecanceruk.org/amsterdam or contact the Prostate Cancer UK cycling team by calling 020 3310 7034 or emailing cycling@prostatecanceruk.org. To receive £25 off registration, enter the code LASTCHANCE25.
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