As debut seasons go, Ange Postecoglou did rather well in charge of Tottenham Hotspur last season.
His team may have fallen from the Champions League places into the Europa League spot, but given the number of injuries he had to deal with, that shouldn't be knocked.
However, now that the Australian has got to grips with life in North London, he has to take the team back up the table next season and to do that, he needs the right players.
So, it's unsurprising that the latest star touted for a move to the club is an incredibly exciting attacker who could be the perfect Richarlison upgrade.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several sides interested in Genoa attacker Albert Gudmundsson this summer, and have contacted the Serie A club for more information on the player.
Alongside the Lilywhites, the report claims that West Ham United, Inter Milan, and teams from Saudi Arabia are also keen to land the Icelandic international. Unfortunately for the North Londoners, the Nerazzurri are currently leading the race.
That said, with his supposed €35m price tag, which converts to just £30m, there is no reason Daniel Levy and Co couldn't flex their financial muscle and take the initiative off the Italian side.
It could be a complicated deal to complete, but given the price and the player's impressive form last season, it seems worth pursuing.
How Gudmundsson compares to Richarlison
So, should Levy and Co get their man and bring him to the white side of North London this summer, he'd likely move from the second striker position he played last season into a more traditional nine role due to Postecoglou's lack of reliable out-and-out goalscorers.
This, in turn, would put Gudmundsson in direct competition with Richarlison for the starting berth in the lineup, and based on how they stack up to one another, he'd likely come out on top.
For example, in 37 appearances last season, the "devastating" Icelandic star, as described by teammate Kevin Strootman, scored 16 goals and provided five assists.
The campaign prior, he returned a haul of 14 goals and five assists in 38, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.76 and two games, respectively.
In contrast, Spurs' Brazilian marksman scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 31 appearances last season while only managing three goals and four assists in 35 matches in 2022/23, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.9 and five games, respectively.
Appearances
38
35
Goals
14
3
Assists
1
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.39
0.20
Appearances
37
31
Goals
16
12
Assists
5
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.56
0.51
It's not just goals that the Serie A star has over the former Everton man; it's also availability, which is, of course, the best ability.
In the last four years, he has missed just five games for club and country through injury, whereas the Nova Venécia-born marksman has missed 36 and counting.
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Ultimately, with Postecoglou needing a goalscorer he can rely on and the price appearing to be quite reasonable, Spurs must do what they can to get ahead of Inter and bring Gudmundsson to N17 this summer, even if that costs Richarlison his place in the side.
