Pundit suggests Spurs youngster may not have the strength needed to be a number nine

BBC pundit Helen Ward thinks Brennan Johnson lacks that natural strength you need to hold defenders off as a number nine at times. 

There has been a lot of discussion about the number nine role at Spurs, with Son Heung-min having plenty of success since being moved to the centre-forward role.

However, things have not clicked for Richarlison in front of goal, which is why there have been suggestions that Tottenham could enter the market for a striker in January.

The likes of Brentford’s Ivan Toney (Daily Express), Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez (90 min), Lille’s Jonathan David (TEAMtalk) and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic (CaughtOffside) have all been mooted as targets for Spurs.

However, it has been suggested by some sources over recent days that Tottenham are not expected to sign a centre-forward, with Postecoglou happy with Son and Richarlison as his options (Dean Jones – GiveMeSport).

Could Johnson be used as Spurs’ main striker?

The other left-field choice the Spurs boss has is to play Johnson through the middle, with the 22-year-old featuring regularly for Wales as the central striker.

The former Nottingham Forest man led the line for the Dragons once again in their World Cup qualifier against Tukey on Tuesday, with the spoils being shared between the sides at the Cardiff City Stadium.

During the game, Ward told BBC Sport website: “Brennan Johnson, he’s not small, but he’s not quite got that upper body strength and ability to hold a player off as you need to do as a number nine at times.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Johnson is also quite accustomed to playing as the number ten, which is now an option that Ange has since Maddison is out of action until the New Year. However, it seems like the Spurs boss prefers to have the 22-year-old’s pace and directness on the flank.

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