Why the “English Neymar” can save Spurs a fortune on Leao and Gakpo

Long gone are the days of Heung-min Son and Gareth Bale tearing teams to shreds on the flanks for Tottenham Hotspur. Long gone, so it would seem, are the days of any genuine quality at Spurs.

That may feel somewhat harsh but the Lilywhites have been a mess over the last two seasons, embroiled in back to back relegation battles.

Alas, things are on the up under Roberto De Zerbi. After welcoming Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to north London for a combined £185m, they are looking to spend a similar sort of amount to improve their forward line.

Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is a key target, albeit valued at around £90m, but he’s not the only forward player on their radar.

How Spurs can improve their forward line

The defence has been strengthened, as has the midfield. Now it’s time to invest significantly into the forward line.

In short, while it will be difficult to find a player of Bale or Son’s equality, they must find a new talisman to spearhead the De Zerbi project in the English capital.

Kroupi would be a truly phenomenal capture. He’s got elite potential. You don’t score 13 goals in the Premier League at the age of 19 without being a little bit good at football.

Capable of playing up top, out wide or a second striker, his versatility would be a huge boon to De Zerbi. Spurs do have other irons in the fire though, with Kroupi’s price tag potentially prohibitive.

Portugal’s Rafael Leao is one option. Talks have been held with the player’s camp and he wants out of AC Milan, meaning a cut-price deal could be agreed.

Another option is Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, although given his importance to the Anfield side, this one feels unlikely. Still, he may well be willing to move on if he isn’t guaranteed starts with Rio Ngumoha now coming through.

Manchester City’s Savinho and Omar Marmoush have also been discussed as options but feel rather less convincing choices than the more proven Gakpo and Leao.

Spurs have not been too keen to save the pennies this summer, but if they do, there are internal solutions.

How Spurs can save millions on Rafael Leao and Co

Given the state of Tottenham’s forward line in 2025/26, it’s hard to really argue against them signing a new winger or striker. They really should make an effort to do so.

After all, following Richarlison in the scoring charts at Spurs last season were a batch of defensive players in the form of Joao Palhinha, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. As a result, bolstering the forward line is simply a must.

In the wide areas, Leao and Gakpo would be brilliant signings. The former has netted on average 13 goals a season over the last five years. Gakpo is just as captivating on the flanks, notably bagging 18 times in all competitions as Liverpool won the Premier League in 2024/25.

What makes Leao and Gakpo such exciting wide players is not just their ability to score regularly, but their pace and directness. As it happens, De Zerbi may already have a player with a similar sort of skillset; Mikey Moore.

It feels like a long time since Moore burst onto the scene under Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2024, scoring against Hearts and supplying an assist in pre-season against Queens Park Rangers. Much has been expected of the 18-year-old since then, playing 19 times for the first team in 2024/25, scoring once and registering two assists.

Those are not remarkable numbers but he seriously caught the eye. Scout Jacek Kulig and James Maddison have already compared him to a Brazilian great, with the former hailing Moore as “the English Neymar” for his direct style of play.

Essentially, he’s very much cut from a similar cloth as the aforementioned Leao and Gakpo. Capable of playing as a striker or as a winger, much like Spurs’ two transfer targets, he’s so dynamic, so quick and difficult to deal with.

On loan at Rangers last term, the teenager scored seven times in Scotland, supplying a further four assists. To rubberstamp that tricky Leao-esque nature, Moore ranked among the finest 9% of positionally similar players in the Scottish Premiership last term for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with 2.12. To put that number into context, Leao managed just 1.26 and Gakpo 1.11.

One of the best players to emerge from the Spurs academy in recent years, there are great hopes for Moore.

While he has yet to become a ruthless commodity at first-team level, for the youth sides he was always among the goals, scoring 19 in 24 for the U18s. Like Leao and Gakpo, therefore, he also knows where the back of the net is.

It is expected that the 18-year-old will head out on loan again for 2026/27 but if he sticks around, De Zerbi may well find he can save millions on investing heaviliy into their wide options.