Is Rodrigo Muniz a masterstroke in the making or just Premier League inflation? – Opinion

The North Londoners have been wanting to usher in one other striker at Hotspur Manner within the ongoing summer time switch window, and that is the second season in a row the place Daniel Levy is trying to compound on signing a marquee quantity 9 after Dominic Solanke’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium within the final offseason. And now the Lilywhites want to signal Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz earlier than the beginning of the subsequent marketing campaign.

The North Londoners have been linked with a transfer to signal Muniz within the ongoing window the place they’re competing with the likes of Leeds United for his signature. The English top-tier returning membership had a £32m bid rejected for his signature, with the London aspect holding onto a £50m price ticket.

Given his purple patch at Craven Cottage within the earlier marketing campaign, the Brazilian striker has been one of many sizzling prospects of the continuing summer time given how he has been elevating eyebrows along with his bodily growth, his goal-scoring return and the depth that he has been placing into his presses.

However when his reported price ticket begins pushing past £40 million, I’m compelled to assume whether or not bringing him to Hotspur Manner is really going to evolve right into a transformative signing or if Muniz is simply in the proper place on the proper time.

Why may Muniz find yourself being a masterstroke?

Provided that he has been enjoying underneath Marco Silva at Fulham, the Brazilian has turn out to be one of the crucial lively pressers within the English prime tier, and given how he combines these good physique angles with relentless work fee, he may find yourself being very best for a coach like Thomas Frank, who likes to have defensive triggers in his entrance line. In a system the place urgent construction issues, Andy offers you that vertical depth from the entrance.

Now, Muniz just isn’t somebody who’s flashy in buildup phases, however then he’s actually good if you ask him to make these quick darting runs into the field or ask him to anticipate second balls. He’s good at smelling these unfastened moments within the 18-yard space as properly.

Low-key I believe that he’s similar to the likes of gamers that Frank has been working with at Brentford (someplace alongside the Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay strains).

And what issues probably the most is that, in contrast to different forwards that the North Londoners are concentrating on outdoors of the Premier League, there may be nonetheless that uncertainty about them coming into the English prime tier, whereas Muniz has proven he can rating, maintain the ball, and compete bodily within the Premiership.

Particularly contemplating his type of late, he did present that if he have been to be given constant minutes and confidence, then he can ship the wanted items.

Or is Muniz simply one other inflated singer?

Now with Muniz, he has had purple patches in brief stretches, and if we begin numbers, his profession whole for Fulham sits at simply 17 PL targets, and you then think about how he has usually been battling type and health from time to time. Then comes the truth that he doesn’t all the time discover himself to be of tactical relevance when not in peak rhythm. And paying a marquee £50m for somebody who has had just a few sizzling streaks over the quick time period appears sketchy to me.

After which let’s get into the inventive aspect of issues: Muniz just isn’t somebody who’s inventive as a quantity 9, provided that he received’t hyperlink play or rotate into half-spaces like Richarlison at his finest or Mohammed Kudus (who’s a goal at Tottenham in any case). And if we’re talking about Thomas Frank’s system, the Dane likes to deploy a rotational and fluid attacking construction the place abruptly Muniz could find yourself discovering himself with restricted attacking range (except you then find yourself pairing him with a extra dynamic second ahead).

Then, in contrast to Ivan Toney, who, when enjoying underneath Thomas Frank, used to do a couple of issues given he dropped whereas linking the play and created as properly, or even when we’re talking about Bryan Mbeumo (who can drift large or centrally), Muniz is basically a central 9, which makes it simpler for him to close down in video games the place the midfield will get remoted or when full-backs aren’t offering service.

Can Muniz match at Tottenham underneath Frank?

If Thomas Frank is aiming to recreate that Toney-Mbeumo duo upfront, then Muniz could possibly be the battering ram, with somebody like Mathys Tel or Mohammed Kudus working off him. However then he would want to pin the centre-backs while guaranteeing that he’s opening areas for different dynamic large forwards (the likes of Brennan and Kulusevski).

But when Levy is wanting to usher in somebody who has that capability to rotate while combining in fluid entrance threes, and even act as a false 9, Muniz is not going to be a great possibility.

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Writer Opinion

The Fulham ahead could be a good tactical slot in a urgent 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 with assist round him, however I don’t assume that he’s your system-defining ahead. If Tottenham are paying someplace alongside £25–30m for his signature, then it’s one thing that I can perceive, but when Fulham begin demanding nearer to £50m, I believe you begin to enter that “Premier League tax” territory.