Tottenham now reportedly want exciting £27m speedster likened to Luis Suarez

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly looking to bolster their attacking ranks in 2023 amid a number of injuries up front.

The loss of Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and most recently Son Heung-min have been detrimental to Spurs’ form.

With the January transfer window just weeks away, Tottenham could well delve into the market for reinforcements.

According to Rudy Galetti, Spurs have set their sights on Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen.

The Sportitalia journalist wrote on Twitter that Malen to Tottenham is one to ‘keep an eye on’ heading into 2023.

Malen joined Dortmund to considerable fanfare in 2021, arriving from PSV Eindhoven for a reported £27million.

However, it hasn’t really worked out for the 23-year-old at the Signal Iduna Park.

Malen – who was previously on the books at Arsenal – has 10 goals and nine assists from 55 appearances.

And this term, he has just one goal and three assists from 17 club outings.

Malen ended up missing out on the Netherlands squad which reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.

He is currently spending most of his time on the left wing, though he can also play on the right, as a centre-forward, and even as a No. 10.

The fact Malen is having a mixed time at Dortmund could work in Tottenham’s favour in terms of a January move.

Clubs won’t want to lose their key players mid-season, but might be willing to do business over rotation or fringe players.

And Malen is a talented and versatile player who’d benefit Tottenham.

‘Similar to Memphis Depay’

In 2021, Breaking the Lines published an in-depth scouting report about the Dutchman.

‘He is a quick, technically proficient modern attacker who is not too dependent on others to create chances in the final third and who is comfortable using either foot to score goals,’ they wrote.

‘One thing that makes Malen stand out against Eredivisie defenses is his speed.

‘Although he is naturally a striker, his speed enables him to play on either flank, as he can easily win a 1v1 duel and arrive into the right goalscoring position.

‘In that regard, he is similar to Memphis Depay, another Dutch forward who came into his own at PSV Eindhoven, who arguably made the move to England too soon, and who can play across the attack due to his unique skillset.

‘Despite his versatility, Malen’s strongest position is at center forward.

‘While he is far from being a traditional target man at 5’10” and 168 lbs, his link-up play is impressive and his pace allows him to exploit open space and latch onto long balls from teammates.

‘Although he plays with another center-forward — typically Eran Zahavi — he tends to move to the left flank to receive and dribble.’

Alongside comparisons with Depay, Malen has also been likened to Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.