Why Willian Jose would be the ideal Harry Kane replacement at Tottenham

According to AS (h/t Football.London), Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a transfer for Brazilian striker Willian Jose, who currently plays for Real Sociedad in the La Liga. 

The 28-year-old has a mammoth release clause of £59million in his current contract which runs until the summer of 2024. The Spanish outfit are demanding a fee close to that figure to part ways with their prized asset. (h/t Football.London)

However, the report (h/t Football.London) claims that Willian Jose is just ‘one step away’ from becoming Jose Mourinho’s second signing of the winter in North London, suggesting that a fee of around €30million could be agreed between the two clubs. 

Born in Porto Calvo, Brazil, Jose spent time with Barueri, Deportivo Maldonado, Santos and Gremio in his homeland and had brief stints at Real Madrid, Real Zaragoza and Las Palmas in Spain before joining Real Sociedad on a five-year deal back in the summer of 2016.

The 28-year-old former Brazilian U20 international has since carved out a big reputation for himself as a seasoned-campaigner in the Spanish top-flight, plundering 53 goals in 130 appearances for Sociedad in all competitions. 

Meanwhile, Tottenham went into the ongoing campaign short of options in the centre-forward department following the departure of Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen. The injury to Harry Kane has now intensified the club’s need for a back-up option in front of the goal. 

Mourinho has made an arduous attempt to fill in the void by deploying the likes of Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura up top but Kane’s absence has still loomed large in recent weeks, with Tottenham only scoring 5 times in their last 5 games since the talisman’s injury. 

In Troy Parrott, Tottenham have a fine young striker coming through their academy system and while he made his Premier League debut against Burnley back in December, Mourinho has made it clear that the 17-year-old isn’t ready to fill in the void left by Kane’s injury. (h/t Football.London)

Verdict

Tottenham are currently placed 6th in the standings, six points adrift of Chelsea for the final Champions League spot.

With Champions League qualification still up in the air, Tottenham need to find an answer to Kane’s absence and Willian Jose perfectly fits the bill in North London as a proven goalscorer in the La Liga. 

Jose has netted 8 times in 20 La Liga outings for Sociedad so far this term. As per Whoscored, the Brazilian has averaged a decent 0.6 goals per 90 minutes in the La Liga this season, whilst his shot conversion rate of 57% (8 out of 14 shots on target have resulted in goals) also makes for some impressive readings.

Moura and Son have done reasonably well in Kane’s absence but Jose would offer more of a physical presence inside the box with his powerful 6ft 3in frame. Moreover, the fact that 53 out of his 55 goals in the La Liga so far have come from inside the box speaks volumes of his opportunistic nature as a striker.

Tottenham would land a reliable back-up for Harry Kane if they manage to get a deal over the line for the Brazilian hitman.