Alderweireld Challenges Spurs to Sign Osimhen
Toby Alderweireld has thrown down a challenge to his old club. If Tottenham are serious about climbing back to the elite, he says, they should go straight through Arsenal and make Victor Osimhen their striker.
The former Spurs defender believes the Galatasaray forward is exactly what Roberto De Zerbi’s new-look side is missing.
"Spurs could use a striker like Victor Osimhen, they need his goals because it’s what they lacked last season as well," Alderweireld told Hajper, cutting straight to the problem that almost dragged the club into disaster.
Spurs spend big – but the No 9 gap remains
Tottenham escaped a grim relegation fight last season and responded by tearing up the transfer script. They have already smashed their own transfer record twice, landing Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a combined £185 million.
Defensive and structural pieces have arrived too: Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all come through the door. The squad looks deeper, more balanced, more De Zerbi.
Yet one hole glares back at them. A ruthless, proven centre forward.
Club hierarchy have explored wide options in recent windows, with Savinho, Cody Gakpo and Pedro Neto all on the radar. Alderweireld, though, wants the focus narrowed.
For him, this is simple: stop circling around the issue and sign a true No 9.
Age question doesn’t scare Alderweireld
Osimhen is attracting attention from the usual heavyweights. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United – all have been linked, all weighing up the same question: his age.
"The only concern for clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United is maybe his age," Alderweireld said. "He’s not the youngest player anymore and it seems like everyone wants to find a 23-year-old superstar who can bang in goals for the next seven or eight years, and I understand that, but you also need a good mix."
That "mix" is a theme he returns to, shaped by his own journey.
Ajax lessons: why proven stars still matter
Alderweireld reached back to his days in Amsterdam to underline the point. At Ajax, he watched a dressing room blend hardened leaders with rising stars, and saw how quickly that cocktail can turn into trophies.
"That’s why it can be important to sign proven players who know how things go so they can bring on the younger, potential superstars alongside them, because they can set the best example," he explained.
"I think about my time at Ajax. The mix was on another level. We had Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind and Frenkie De Jong and Matthijs de Ligt coming through. That’s what you need."
For Tottenham, Osimhen would be that proven pillar up front, the reference point for a squad stacked with expensive potential.
Arsenal interest and a complicated route to north London
Landing him, though, will be anything but straightforward.
Osimhen, a Nigeria international, has drawn serious interest from Arsenal. Reports suggest Galatasaray recently sounded out the Gunners over Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, floating Osimhen as part of the discussions.
At this stage, there are no active negotiations. Just noise, ideas, and a sense that the market is waiting for one big move to trigger the rest.
Tottenham, if they listen to Alderweireld, should see that as an opening rather than a warning.
Osimhen keeps his head down
While the rumours swirl around him, Osimhen is saying little and doing less to fuel the fire.
"I’ll focus on my job," he said last week when asked about his future. "We’ll see and think about what comes next then."
For Spurs, the equation is stark. They have rebuilt the midfield, reinforced the back line, and spent like a club desperate to avoid another brush with the drop.
Now comes the hardest part: do they step into a fight with Arsenal for the kind of striker who can change a season, or watch another opportunity drift across north London?
