Tottenham are being tipped to land the “the next elite No.9” in European football as reports suggest they could make a raid on Belgium for a top teenage talent this summer.
Ange Postecoglou wants to strengthen all areas of his team this summer after watching Spurs fall away from Champions League qualification contention over the last few weeks with four losses in a row.
Adding a new central striker is an absolute must for the Australian, having failed to replace Harry Kane when the club’s all-time leading marksman joined Bayern Munich.
A number of big-name targets have been mentioned as potential options, including the likes of Ivan Toney, Santiago Gimenez, Dominic Solanke and Albert Gudmundsson, but Tottenham are also being tipped to land a highly-rated 17-year-old from Royal Antwerp.
According to VoetbalKrant, the north London club have set their sights on forward George Ilenikhena, with the Belgian side reportedly looking for at least €20million to sell the teenager this summer.
Ilenikhena was born in Lagos, Nigeria in August 2006 but moved to Paris aged three and rose through the ranks of the Antony Football Evolution project.
His big break came in 2021, when he joined Amiens and went on to become a first-team player for the Ligue 2 outfit.
Ilenikhena then joined Antwerp in the summer of 2023, where he has made a big name for himself with 14 goals from 46 outings.
However, there are reports that the Belgian side are looking to balance their books this summer and are willing to cash in on Ilenikhena as a result.
A recent in-depth report on Football Talent Scout claimed that the young attacker could potentially become ‘the next elite No. 9’.
Antwerp star a ‘rare’ attacking talent
Ilenikhena’s also been described as a a rare type of player, blending high IQ, mentality, physical dominance and footballing aesthetics’.
The report adds that he ‘has an incredible leap, a huge frame, brilliant pace, defiant close control, composed finishing and likely a high level of coachability to improve upon that’.
Football Talent Scout adds that, ‘at his best Ilenikhena can be truly exceptional as an all-phases striker, effective in every role. Whether as a target man, a channel runner, coming deep, drifting wide or being a presence in the box, he has demonstrated a potential to be able to do all of this.
‘If he can reach that level he would surely be one of the best in the best in world football.’
