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The Annual Tottenham Hotspur Striker Search: January 2015 Edition

Introducing the young striker bullying Belgians and interesting Europe's biggest

Marco Bell profiles the powerful Anderlecht hitman linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and others...

FACT FILE

Date of birth: September 16, 1994
Place of birth: Smederevo, Yugoslavia
Position: Striker
Height: 6ft 2in
Previous clubs: Teleoptik, Partizan
Current club: Anderlecht; 54 apps, 24 goals
International: Serbia; 8 caps, 1 goal
Honours: Serbian SuperLiga (12/13), Belgian Pro League (13/14), UEFA U19 European Championship (2013)

The 60 second story

Aged 20 (and only just), Aleksandar Mitrovic already looks like a striker with all the right attributes to succeed at the top. As handy a poacher as he is scoring from anywhere else in the box, the youngster plays with a healthy brand of arrogance that's taken him from the lower reaches of Serbian football to the Champions League and international recognition within three seasons.

Signed by mass producers Partizan Belgrade aged 11, Mitrovic was sent out to feeder club Teleoptik for experience and began finding the net sporadically either side of the winter break. Partizan soon realised his potential and brought him into the fold the following season, for which he rewarded them with 15 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions. It wasn't just his scoring that earned him plaudits, though – his overall performances resulted in a place in the Serbian SuperLiga's Team of the Season.

Before long Mitrovic was sold to Anderlecht for €5 million. Yet the young Serb didn't let up, scoring 16 goals in 32 league games in his debut league season, plus another three in the Champions League.

Success seems to follow Mitrovic wherever he goes. In his short career he has already won the Serbian SuperLiga with Partizan, the Belgian Pro League in his first season with Anderlecht and helped Serbia to Under-19 European Championship glory in 2013, grabbing an assist in the final against France en route to being named the tournament’s best player.

Why you need to know him

Mitrovic has started this season as he finished the last, finding the net five times in 10 league games to help fire Anderlecht to the top of the Belgian Pro League.

He's by no means the finished article, of course – he recently missed an easy chance when Anderlecht led Galatasaray away from home in the Champions League, and were then condemned to a point – but all the signs point to a bright future for the Serbian.

Arsenal, who have been keepings tabs on the forward for the past few seasons, will get a better look at Mitrovic when Anderlecht visit the Emirates. They certainly aren't the only side showing interest, though. Speculation is already increasing as the January window draws closer, with (ready?) Roma, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Milan all said to be keen. If Anderlecht are to avoid finishing bottom of their Champions League group for an eighth time in succession, Mitrovic will need to work his magic.

Strengths

Mitrovic has outstanding potential, as demonstrated by his ability to score all sorts of goal last season for Anderlecht. Last season’s highlight reel included a decisive tap-in against rivals Club Brugge, a majestic dink and finish over a helpless KV Oostende goalkeeper and a number of powerful headers (see 'em all below). Whatever the angle, Mitrovic seems to find a way to put the chance away.

His height and muscular physique are striking, and already he is using them to great effect, bullying defenders with a lethal combination of power and pace. His movement is first class, too – like any good striker he creates space for himself and plays off his instincts. His fervent celebrations highlight how hungry he is to get on the scoresheet every week.

Weaknesses

Clearly he enjoys being the centre of attention and has a selfish streak that will need to be ironed out over time by a world-class coach. There are also slight disciplinary concerns: he was sent off twice last season, and missed the 2012 U19 Euros following a red card in the opening game against France.

Keeping his feet on the ground, and working hard for the team, will serve Mitrovic well when he joins a big club and will be expected to put in a fair defensive shift.

He's unproven as of yet in a major league, and at international level he is still finding his feet, but the quality of his goals elsewhere so far suggests he has the potential to make a smooth transition when the time comes.

They said...

Jose Mourinho was impressed with Mitrovic after seeing him score his first international goal for Serbia against Croatia in 2013. “He was the best player on the pitch,” said the Chelsea chief. “He managed to keep the ball well and that was the key. That boy has everything to be a European star.”

Anderlecht manager Besnik Hasi, however, was unimpressed when Mitrovic returned to pre-season training out of shape. “I’m not going to pretend that he has completed his programme,” fumed the coach. “I had asked him to rest, but not in that way. When I give a player something, I want to get something back.”

Did you know?

Anderlecht broke their record transfer fee to secure the signing of Mitrovic, spending €5m on the forward (a record subsequently broken by Steven Defour's summer arrival in Brussels). The club clearly have an eye for young talent, having overseen Romelu Lukaku’s development from a young age before selling him to Chelsea for a large profit. The same is likely to occur with Mitrovic.

What happens next

Mitrovic isn’t just another Eastern European gem for Football Manager lovers to get excited over – he's already drawn comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic thanks to his confident swagger on the pitch. With so many big European clubs circling, Anderlecht are likely to find it difficult keeping him beyond next summer. When he does make his move, the 20-year-old must choose wisely.

TALENTSPOTTER RATINGS

Shooting 8
Heading 8
Passing 6
Tackling 5
Pace 8
Dribbling 6
Creativity 6
Work-rate 7


http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/introducing-young-striker-bullying-belgians-and-interesting-europes-biggest

[video=youtube;as9C1YAuXcg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as9C1YAuXcg[/video]
 
Tottenham target Manolo Gabbiadini has chosen to put talk of a transfer on hold until the summer.

Both Spurs and Atletico Madrid have been following the progress of the Italy Under-21 forward, who is playing for Sampdoria but is co-owned by Juventus.

But the player’s agent Silvio Pagliari said: “The links are a source of pride, but with the market Manolo has decided to postpone everything until the end of the season.”

“We have fully embraced the cause of Sampdoria and only in June will we begin to talk about the market.

“Together with Sampdoria and Juventus we will take the best decision.”


http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tottenham-transfer-news-manolo-gabbiadini-will-keep-spurs-waiting-until-the-summer-9808506.html
 
Defoe is getting criticism from the Toronto fans and says he "doesnt know what the future holds" which basically means he is a cert to return to the England in Jan.

It actually would'nt suprise me at all if we did a deal.
 
Defoe is getting criticism from the Toronto fans and says he "doesnt know what the future holds" which basically means he is a cert to return to the England in Jan.

It actually would'nt suprise me at all if we did a deal.

This one has Harry Redknapp written all over it.

There's no way I see him coming to us. Not what we need.
 
I agree he should go to QPR. But I can just see us going in for a cheap loan move to fill the gap if [insert name here] leaves in Jan.
 
Comolli thinks we should go for Andre-Pierre Gignac as he only has 6 months left on his contract.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/11/17/comolli-suggests-117-goal-striker-could-move-to-tottenham-in-jan/

Some dude suggesting we should go for Sigthorsson at Ajax.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/11/17/could-16-goal-iceland-striker-be-tottenhams-perfect-soldado-re/

Unless they've fulfilled some potential recently I would be rather skeptical of either of those if it happened. Might be wrong though as I haven't seen Gignac in some time (and last I saw him he was a poor man's Giroud at best) and I've only seen Sigthorsson a couple of times. One in two for Ajax in the Dutch league though... :S

If we go for anyone at Ajax, it should be Nouri. They're raving about him.

He's 17 and yet to make a start for Ajax. I doubt he's the striker we need in January...
 
I think we should go for someone in their mid/late 30's on a free. Wise hear don old shoulders, low wages, zero cost. Cool. It's such a shame Kevin Phillips finally retired as he would have been perfect.
 
Comolli thinks we should go for Andre-Pierre Gignac as he only has 6 months left on his contract.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/11/17/comolli-suggests-117-goal-striker-could-move-to-tottenham-in-jan/

Some dude suggesting we should go for Sigthorsson at Ajax.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/11/17/could-16-goal-iceland-striker-be-tottenhams-perfect-soldado-re/

Eidur was on about the 2nd chap before the Iceland match. In brief he said he's been poorish for Ajax but excellent for the national team.
 
Unless they've fulfilled some potential recently I would be rather skeptical of either of those if it happened. Might be wrong though as I haven't seen Gignac in some time (and last I saw him he was a poor man's Giroud at best)

You could say that Gignac has, after a few years as bang average he now comes off two decent seasons with 1 in 2 goal ratio.
Before he this season has taken off under Bielsa (Pochettino's mentor), wouldn't surprise me if he is someone who'd fit Poch's style very well.
Physically strong, good in the air, fighting and pressing from top. Gignac has 10 goals from 12 games so far this league season.
Not world class, but could be a coup for free or cheap, that would fit our style more than our current strikers even if he perhaps isn't as talented.
 
Liverpool and Tottenham face a battle to convince Juventus striker Fernando Llorente to join them as he weighs up a move to Atletico Madrid, according to reports in Spain.

The forward has endured a miserable time with the Serie A champions where he has scored just three goals in 13 appearances – making his 29 goals for Athletic Bilbao during the 2011/12 campaign seem like a long time ago.

And now according to fichaes.com he is ready to move back to La Liga with Atletico Madrid to rediscover his form.

The Spanish champions are willing to take Llorente on loan until the end of the season in the hope that he can boost the fortunes of striker Mario Mandzukica.

Liverpool and Tottenham are both reportedly keen as they look at options to improve their goalscoring but look like missing out for the one time Chelsea and Arsenal target.


http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2014/11/liverpool-spurs-face-battle-convince-striker-fernando-llorente-join/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+offthepost%2FTLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29
 
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