Tottenham are reportedly assessing Freiburg forward Igor Matanovic as a potential winter addition, with the 23-year-old striker carrying a Transfermarkt valuation of £18.8m (€22m) amid Spurs’ ongoing struggles in front of goal.
The claim comes via GiveMeSport, with journalist Ben Jacobs reporting in his newsletter that Tottenham are prepared to add another striker mid-season if the goals continue to dry up. Jacobs writes that Matanovic and Tottenham could be one to watch, noting he first revealed the club’s interest over the summer, and that Spurs are currently assessing the situation with time still to run before the window opens.
Matanovic’s numbers and the reported price tag
According to the report, Matanovic scored 15 goals for Freiburg last season and already has six in seven games this campaign – a return that, on its own, outstrips Tottenham’s entire forward line so far this season. He’s described as big, tall and a genuine target man, which would mark a change of profile from what Spurs currently have in attack.
The £18.8m figure is worth treating as exactly what it is: a Transfermarkt valuation, not a confirmed asking price or an agreed fee. Spurs have been burned by exactly that kind of gap before.
Why Spurs might actually need him
Context matters here. Tottenham spent close to £400m in the summer, £145m of it on forward reinforcements, and still managed only 48 goals in 38 league matches last season – a total that summed up a relegation scrap survived on the final day. This season, two goals from five matches suggests things are no better, and possibly worse.
Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke are currently the only recognised forwards available, with Richarlison frozen out and left off Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad following his transfer debacle. Solanke’s fitness record isn’t exactly a source of comfort either, and an injury there would leave Spurs badly short – part of why other striker names keep surfacing as alternatives worth watching.
Competition and complications
Manchester United are also said to appreciate Matanovic, and the report is careful to stress there’s no guarantee a mid-season deal is possible – winter windows are notoriously harder to work in, with less time and clubs generally reluctant to sell disruptively. Spurs aren’t the only club scouting cheaper, in-form strikers either, for what it’s worth.
Whether Tottenham go aggressively for a specific target in January or simply back what they’ve already got until summer remains genuinely unresolved. Matanovic’s numbers make him a sensible name to have on the list; that’s not the same as him arriving.
