£12M Bournemouth Striker Callum Wilson Not Right Transfer Target for Tottenham

If nothing else, Tottenham's 2014-15 season will be remembered for the remarkable rise of Harry Kane. 

The local boy, beloved of the fans and enjoying a seemingly charmed rise to debut England scorer and 30-goal striker, seems poised to be the centrepiece of Spurs' team for many years to come. 

This summer, manager Mauricio Pochettino will get his first real opportunity to build his own squad. Arriving too late in 2014 to take a lead role in transfer strategy, Pochettino was only peripherally involved, but this year he will have the final say in Spurs' dealings, according to Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror. 

Pochettino will build his team around Kane.

One of the most important additions to the squad this summer will be a striker who can play with him.

Kane has enjoyed a prolific season in front of goal but is a far more well-rounded forward than that. To see the best of him, Spurs must find a strike partner who can stretch the opposition, make runs and allow him to occupy the space a traditional No. 10 would do. 

It is from that area that Kane is the most deadly. Able to interchange with his forward partner and attack the opposition defence himself, this system also allows him to drop off and make as many goals as he scores. 

Spurs' recent 1-0 defeat to Man City was instructive. Kane was being tightly marked by City's defence in an attempt to starve him of opportunities and cut off the supply line. Chelsea were the first to utilise this tactic, and City executed it well. 

When Kane attempted to move into wide areas or drop deeper, there was nobody available to take up attacking positions. Pochettino recognised this, first throwing Roberto Soldado and then Emmanuel Adebayor into the mix, but neither was able to bring Spurs the equaliser they so desperately sought. 

Pochettino will need to find another striker in the looming transfer window, and Bournemouth's Callum Wilson fits the bill. 

Wilson has enjoyed a prolific season himself, scoring 23 goals and creating eight more in his debut Cherries campaign. 

Arriving for £3 million last summer, Wilson scored twice in his debut and five times in his first seven games. 

His season is no outlier; he bagged 22 goals for a woeful Coventry side in 2013-14, leading League One scorers. Few previous players to have done so have hit the heights, but Rickie Lambert, twice the top scorer in League One, struck 28 goals in his first two seasons in the top flight. 

Cherries legend Steven Fletcher says Wilson will not be troubled by the jump to the Premier League. "It's not just his goals, it's his overall play. His presence, his work rate creates so much space."

Fletcher describes an ideal partner for Kane and a player who could fill in as a sole striker if required. 

Wilson cannot be considered a flat-track bully, having scored the winning goal on seven occasions this season. 

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

Lewis says Spurs are among 10 clubs keen to acquire Wilson over the summer. 

Transfermarkt values Wilson at around £2.65 million, but prolific English strikers are hard to come by, and the Mirror's report suggests he will cost around £12 million. 

Wilson is a precise finisher with solid, though not explosive, pace. 

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry singled out Wilson for praise in his column for the Sun (h/t Here is the City). 

An effective finisher on both feet, Wilson is determined and a consistent scorer of every kind of goal. 

His ability to consistently round the goalkeeper and score in an empty net suggests a poise that is valuable at any level. 

His response to breaking a goalscoring drought suggests his attitude fits the demands of top-flight football. "I was relaxed; I knew it would come eventually, and I should have had one or two more."

The divergence between Wilson's market value and predicted transfer fee is the problem. Were Wilson available for £5-7 million, he would represent good value. 

Despite Fletcher's praise, there is no certainty Wilson's talents will translate to the top flight.

He tortured League One and Championship defenders with his pace, but defences in the Premier League are on another level. 

Spurs do not have a huge transfer budget. £12 million is simply too much to spend on a player who is far from guaranteed to flourish. 

If Bournemouth are offering Wilson for such a fee, there is a chance Spurs could negotiate them to a more reasonable price or offer one of their unwanted players in part-exchange. 

QPR's Charlie Austin, as well as Lambert, demonstrates how gambling on a prolific yet unproven player can pay dividends. Wilson has the capacity to flourish in the Premier League, but Spurs cannot afford to take this leap. 

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

Wilson represents an unnecessary gamble and one that Spurs cannot afford. If the Cherries can be negotiated with, he could be a useful addition. 

His runs are effective, his finishing is consistently excellent, and he seems well-suited to working both with and in place of Harry Kane.