09 January 2024 , 07:33
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Graeme Souness has torn into Tottenham’s signing of Timo Werner and claimed the ex-Chelsea man is a “stocking filler”.
The north London side are on the verge of signing the German forward on a six-month loan deal from RB Leipzig. They will have an option to sign him permanently in the summer.
Werner’s switch signals his first return to the Premier League since an inconsistent stint across the capital with Chelsea. Ex-Liverpool man Souness is not particularly convinced by the deal and believes the striker is simply a stop-gap for Ange Postecoglou.
“He needs five opportunities to score a goal, and he had one good season prior to coming here,” Souness said on talkSPORT. “He found it difficult to get goals and I would say nothing’s changed, he’s gone back to Leipzig and this season played eight [Bundesliga] games and scored two goals.
“He’s a stocking filler, he’s another body. I don’t think he’ll do very well, but having said that, he’s the kind of player that will get three or four chances every game because he’s rapid and gets himself in the right place.
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“He’s a player who one year could get 30 goals, and the next five or six, so he could have the most incredible purple patch and then Spurs will have to sign him.
“[Liverpool forward Darwin] Nunez falls into that category where he needs too many chances to score a goal, but that may change as he’s a young man. Werner, I don’t see that changing, but he could have a purple patch.”
Timo Werner is on his way back to the Premier League (Getty Images)How many goals will Timo Werner score for Spurs? Share your predictions in the comments below
During his previous stint in the Premier League, Werner scored just 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea but still won the Champions League with the Blues. The 27-year-old returned to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2022 and netted on 16 occasions in his first season back in Germany.
He has been unable to extend that positive form this term with just two goals to his name. Postecoglou will be hoping that he can fill the gap left by top scorer Son Heung-Min.
The forward could be missing for Spurs until potentially mid-February due to his Asia Cup commitments with South Korea. The 31-year-old has scored 12 goals in 20 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Richarlison is the club’s next top scorer. The Brazilian has seven goals to his name after a recovering from a poor start to the campaign. He has already beaten last season’s shocking record of just three goals in his debut season as a Spurs player.