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Younes Ebnoutalib, who Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a January move for, can count Germany boss Jurgen Klopp as one of his biggest fans.
Even though the January window is nearly two full months away, the speculation has already started intensifying on which centre-forward the Lilywhites will target.
There is no doubt that Roberto De Zerbi’s side needs to add a reliable goalscorer, with Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush yet to repay the faith that the Italian has shown in them.
It emerged back in September that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib has found a place in Spurs’ shortlist on the back of his outstanding start to the season.
This was subsequently confirmed a couple of days ago by Sky Sports Germany that Tottenham and Juventus have both already contacted the Frankfurt star’s agent.
The 23-year-old’s outstanding form at club level has seen him break into the German national side, with the striker winning his first two caps for his country in the previous international break.
Former Liverpool boss Klopp, who is now in charge of Die Mannschaft, previously revealed that he and his coaching staff had made up their minds about Ebnoutalib as soon as they first saw him play.
Klopp said about the Frankfurt man earlier this season (via GiveMeSport): “I saw his first game of the season for Eintracht and said to myself, ‘What a player! Where did they find him?’ There was no discussion among the coaching staff. We all immediately agreed: ‘Yes, we have to include him’.”
That kind of praise from one of the best minds in the game will certainly attract a lot of attention to the 23-year-old, and reports indicate that Frankfurt are attempting to offer Ebnoutalib a new contract to ward off interested clubs.
| Statistic | Younes Ebnoutalib | Dominic Solanke | Omar Marmoush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Eintracht Frankfurt | Tottenham | Tottenham |
| League | Bundesliga | Premier League | Premier League |
| Appearances | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Starts | 6 | 4 | 7 |
| Minutes | 566 | 377 | 594 |
| Goals | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Goal involvements | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Goals per 90 | 0.95 | 0.24 | 0.15 |
Ebnoutalib’s primary strengths lie in his direct, powerful finishing inside the box and his exceptional off-the-shoulder movement to run in behind defensive lines.
That is exactly what Spurs have lacked this season, with Solanke still looking short of the player he was in his final season at Bournemouth and his first year in North London.
The German international’s numbers clearly show that he does not need too many chances to score, and he thus could be the missing piece to De Zerbi’s attack.
Here are Ebnoutalib’s stats this season across all competitions, according to FotMob: