Tottenham Hotspur signing a new striker before the transfer window closes has not been ruled out, with Freiburg striker Igor Mantanovic one player the club likes, according to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs.

Tottenham have signed six players this summer as they look to soar up the Premier League table under Roberto De Zerbi this season, but there are more signings to come.

Spurs are already working on deals to bring Manchester City winger Savinho and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as De Zerbi looks to add at least two new faces to his attack before the September 1 deadline.

Ideally, he would have at least one of those in place for the opening day trip to Brentford next Saturday.

A new striker is also a possibility, especially if Richarlison ends up leaving the club in the next few weeks having been linked with a summer exit, with Jacobs revealing one lesser-known name who is on the north London outfit’s shortlist.

Speaking on the Last Word on Spurs live stream, the GMS senior correspondent said:

“I heard Igor Mantanovic the other day at Freiburg, who has had a good year or so of goalscoring and is quite a young and interesting profile.

“I think it was about 15 goals in all competitions last season. Not necessarily the finished product, but one name to keep an eye on.”

Mantanovic Would Add Different Profile for Tottenham

Neither Richarlison nor strike partner Dominic Solanke are particularly short, but the 6ft 5in Mantanovic would give De Zerbi a new profile to work with, being more of a proper target man and focal point.

After a slow start to his career in terms of goalscoring, the Croatia international has burst into life over the course of the past two seasons, scoring 29 goals, while he also has two in 12 caps for his country.

Mantanovic’s strength in the air is shown by the fact that he won 83 aerial duels in the Bundesliga last season, with Richarlison and Solanke winning 89 combined in the Premier League.

The Croatian’s hold-up play and ability to win headers could play perfectly into the hands of Savinho and Gakpo if they end up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Savinho and Gakpo would have opportunities to run in behind the 23-year-old, who would also give both players a big target to aim for with crosses from out wide.

Mantanovic is far from just a hold-up player though, as shown with 11 goals from just 14 starts in the German top flight last term.

That clinical finishing ability will appeal to De Zerbi as he looks to bring more goals to his Spurs side this term.

What we do also know is that the Italian boss likes players with Premier League experience, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he opted to bring in a new striker who has played in England before.

Nevertheless, Mantanovic is an interesting target on the shortlist.

In the modern era, there are few better midfielders than Xavi Hernandez. The Spaniard was the beating heart of an iconic Barcelona side that is considered among the greatest sports teams of all time.

At Barca, he won five La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles and three Champions League titles, while also lifting the World Cup with Spain and two European Championships. In short, there were very few opponents Xavi came up against and struggled to deal with.

That said, there was one Englishman who made quite the impression.

Xavi Backed English Goalkeeper to ‘Succeed at Barcelona’

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Back in 2013, Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes was expected to leave at the end of the season. With his future in doubt, Xavi spoke about wanting an English player to come in and take the job.

As quoted by the Metro, the Barcelona star was keen on seeing Fraser Forster join him at the Camp Nou. He explained:

Messi Also Was Impressed By Celtic Star Forster

In hindsight, it seems quite strange to see one of the greatest midfielders of all time speaking so highly of a player like Forster. After all, the Englishman would only win six caps for his country between 2013 and 2016.

Forster left Celtic for Southampton in a £10m deal within a year of Xavi’s comments and spent eight years with the English club, including one back on loan at Celtic, before heading to Tottenham as back-up. He departed Spurs in 2025 and now, aged 38, plays for Bournemouth, although he is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Cherries.

The reason Xavi was such a fan, however, was that they’d met in the Champions League and the Englishman always seemed to step up. Playing against Barcelona on four occasions in total, Forster delivered perhaps the performance of his career when he helped his side pick up a shock 2-1 win in 2012.

It was so good, in fact, Lionel Messi later would claim it was the best goalkeeping display he ever saw, noting: “The performances of Fraser Forster against us were talked about for a long time. There was one game in Scotland where he was not human. It is the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.”

Adding to this, Xavi would also go on to name the former Celtic star in his all-time British XI. He explained: “Barcelona have met Celtic four times in recent seasons, and every time Forster put in an incredible performance. In the games we’ve played, he’s made some of the best saves I have ever seen.”

While Forster didn’t quite go on to have the career many expected of him, he will forever be able to proudly recall the night he left the likes of Xavi and Messi glowing with admiration.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Aston Villa are showing a genuine interest in bringing a former Manchester United star back to the Premier League.

Unai Emery’s squad is undergoing a rebuild following the departures of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans. The pair were crucial members of the Villans’ team that won the Europa League last season and, as such, needed to be replaced.

Villa have since swooped for Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes and the latter made his competitive debut in a 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup this week. But the West Midlands outfit’s business isn’t over yet and they are now trying to add a new full-back to Emery’s squad.

Aston Villa Want Wan-Bissaka

After sealing a deal with Atletico Madrid to sign Italian left-back Matteo Ruggeri, Villa are now looking to sign West Ham United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Congolese defender has been expected to move this summer following the Hammers’ relegation.

Romano gave an update on the club’s interest in Wan-Bissaka and revealed that they are trying to sign the player. He said on his YouTube channel:

Wan-Bissaka has spent his whole career in the Premier League, rising through the youth ranks at Crystal Palace before earning a £50 million move to Manchester United in 2019. His time at Old Trafford was full of ups and downs but he earned recognition as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old left for West Ham in the summer of 2024 for £15 million and there are some who believe the Red Devils regret letting him go. He has been a nuisance when facing his former side, including in a 1-1 draw back in January 2025.

Former Villa defender Micah Richards raved about his performance on The Rest is Football podcast:

Aston Villa transfer targets

Emery could be enticed to move for Wan-Bissaka, not least because of his Premier League experience, but also because of his defensive brilliance. He has also improved going forward during his time at the London Stadium.

There’s no mention of a fee and how much West Ham are demanding for the DR Congo international. He still has six years left on his contract, which rules out the possibility of a cut-price deal.

If Wan-Bissaka were to join Villa, he’d become the latest player to have headed to Villa Park after a spell at Manchester United. The likes of Peter Schmeichel, Paul McGrath, Dion Dublin and Ashley Young encountered similar career paths.

Emery’s Choice: Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Matty Cash

Villa are looking to hand Matty Cash competition at right-back, and Wan-Bissaka will do just that given his defensive abilities. They are two contrasting full-backs.

Cash enjoyed a superb past season and has become an important player in Emery’s team. But with a return to the Champions League on the horizon, a move for the West Ham makes perfect sense.

Defensive: Wan-Bissaka would get the nod over Cash as he very rarely loses duels. His recovery timing and trademark slide tackle could be extremely beneficial for Emery come next season.

Attack: Cash is the man for the job, capable of putting an inch-perfect cross into the box. He also links up well with his attacking teammates and is better on the ball than the former Red Devil.

Stats courtesy of Premier League – correct as of 14/08/2026

Verdict: Who is better for this Villa team? Simply both of them, given their contrasting profiles. If Villa come up against a team with a world-class winger, Wan-Bissaka could completely nullify their threat while if Emery expects his side to be in control of a game, Cash is the one to help build by providing attacking width.