Jose Mourinho says Tottenham Hotspur are 'trying everything' to sign a back-up centre-forward this summer

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho is optimistic about signing a new back-up centre-forward ahead of the summer transfer deadline.

The North London club are short on attacking personnel as Harry Kane, the vice-captain of the club, is the only recognised centre-forward in the squad. They had Fernando Llorente among their ranks last year, but the Spaniard moved to Napoli upon the expiry of his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs have been linked with a move for several strikers this summer despite the window set to shut in less than a week, Mourinho is confident of attacking reinforcements.

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'I am optimistic,' claims Tottenham Hotspur manager Mourinho on striker signing

Kane is the only senior striker available to Jose Mourinho

Speaking on the potential arrival of attacking reinforcements at Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the October 5th deadline, Jose Mourinho explained;

"I am optimistic, but more than that the feeling that I like is that we [Tottenham Hotspur] are trying everything to do it. You succeed or you don’t succeed. It’s like a football match: you win or you don’t win but you give everything and try everything. The transfer market is the same."

The Portuguese manager added,

"I like the feeling that my club is trying to do everything for us and for the team, that’s the most important thing for me. If we succeed then great – I believe so – but if we don’t then that’s football."

15 - Arkadiusz #Milik has scored 15 of his 35 Serie A goals with his first shot of the match. Nose-up.#SampNapoli pic.twitter.com/3EfGAzev0O

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 3, 2020

On the back of this response from the 57-year-old, Alasdair Gold of Football London reported that Spurs are closing in on the signing of another striker. Although the identity of the striker they're close to signing has not been revealed, the report claims that it is not Arkadiusz Milik of Napoli, on the contrary to other reports.

The Polish international has been continually linked with a move to North London and is reportedly courted by Manchester United and Manchester City, among other clubs.

Other strikers who have been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur include Torino ace Andrea Belotti, Metz forward Habib Diallo, and Benfica strikers Carlos Vinicius and Haris Seferovic.

50 - Dele Alli's goal against Burnley saw him become the 7th different player to score 50 Premier League goals for Tottenham, with only Harry Kane doing so at a younger age for the club. Club. #OptaPLRefresher pic.twitter.com/tN6IcKrUo9

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 17, 2020

Elsewhere, midfielder Dele Alli's future is up in the air amidst transfer speculation and rumours of a row with Jose Mourinho. However, Mourinho showed Alli with praise, saying that he has nothing but respect for the Englishman. He remarked;

"He trained really well and hard yesterday, so he has my respect and the respect of his team-mates, so it's possible that he plays tomorrow."

Spurs are set to take on Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

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