Opinion: Tottenham Hotspur must seek to hijack Southampton's Che Adams move but they haven't got much time

Spurs should get in quick for the Birmingham striker, who has been compared to Jermain Defoe and Ronaldo.

Che Adams of Birmingham celebrates as he scores the third goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday at St Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium...

While it has been a good season for Tottenham Hotspur, reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League’s top four as well as moving into a brand new stadium, fan frustration remains over the club’s transfer happenings – or lack thereof.

As of Thursday morning, Spurs are yet to sign a player this window, meaning the last player to join the North London club remains Lucas Moura 18 months ago, and it was evident over the course of the season just gone that the squad was stretched to the limit and beyond.

Admittedly, money could well be tight following the outlay on the state-of-the-art new home, which means Tottenham could be acting prudently and shrewdly in the market, but it cannot be argued that reinforcements need to be made as other teams set about doing their business early on.

One player who Spurs have reportedly been interested in and would set them back a relatively modest amount but may not have much more time if they are to recruit is Birmingham City striker Che Adams, who is on the radar of Southampton.

TEAMtalk reported in February that the Lilywhites were one of several Premier League sides scouting the 22-year-old, but Southampton are believed to be making progress in bringing him to St Mary’s for a fee of between £14million and £16million, according to The Sun.

Birmingham City's Che Adams battles with Ipswich Town's James Collins

Adams enjoyed a superb season in the Championship in 2018-19 despite the Blues’ struggles on and off the pitch, with an impressive 22 goals plus four assists according to Transfermarkt.

He clearly is highly rated, being described by his ex-teammate Omar Bogle as a “more physical version” of Jermain Defoe, while Ilkeston ex-colleague Matt Baker lineked him to Brazil legend Ronaldo (The Guardian), and the good stats are there too as shown by his goalscoring return last term for a struggling side.

Given Tottenham are now in the Premier League’s elite and came within one game of becoming European champions, surely it would not take much convincing for Adams to pick them over the Saints, and given how impressive the Spurs coaches are with bringing the best out of players, they should not let the opportunity slip.

Mauricio Pochettino manager