Spurs may have been in the market for a striker in January before, but the injury to N’Jie makes it a certainty

Most Tottenham fans were optimistic that Mauricio Pochettino intended to buy an additional striker in the January transfer window even before the injury to Clinton N’Jie. After the injury to the Cameroon front man, purchasing a number nine has gone from a really good idea to a much-needed necessity.

Harry Kane just can’t play every match for Spurs. He’s shown an incredible amount of stamina to play so many minutes for the club this season, but he has to get a rest at some point. Currently, resting Kane would lead to playing Hueng-Min Song or Nacer Chadli up top. While both of those players can do the job as a substitute, neither is remotely qualified to man the position as a starter for a club with top four aspirations. They are both better suited to play as wide men in Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

N’Jie might also be better when deployed out wide, but at least he had significant experience playing up top. Pochettino, Levy and company could have at least made the argument that he was Kane’s cover at striker. Now, that potential excuse is out the window. N’Jie’s injury might seriously hurt Tottenham’s leverage in the transfer market because now the world will know, without a shadow of a doubt, that buying a striker is necessary.

It might cost the club a few more million pounds, but fans are happy to make that trade. Spurs faithful have been clamoring for a good striker to be purchased for quite a while and this injury, may serve as a blessing in disguise for those hopes. Depending on the length of N’Jie’s absence, Spurs fans could be treated to his return and the addition of a new striker as the Premier League season winds down. That would really be best-case scenario for the lily-white faithful.

Who Tottenham might purchase as their reinforcement for Harry Kane is another article altogether. Whether it’s Saido Berahino, Ayoze Perez or a target man from abroad, they will be counted on to play in relief and alongside the English front man. It could be the purchase that makes the difference between another frustrating Europa League qualification and achieving the Champions League dream.

The injury to Clinton N’Jie has removed all of Daniel Levy’s potential reasoning for not buying a striker. The cupboard behind Harry Kane is clearly bare and that must be addressed in the January transfer window.