Lyon Forward Clinton Njie a Step in the Right Direction for Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly close to securing their first attacking signing of the summer with Olympique Lyonnais' Clinton Njie poised to join the club.

According to L'Equipe (h/t Ligue 1 Show's Matt Spiro), the two clubs have agreed to a fee of £10 million (rising to £12.5 million with add-ons).

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas also told RMC Sport (via European football correspondent Andy Brassell) that the deal was close to completion and negotiations were progressing positively.

The Telegraph's Matt Law reported that Njie is travelling to London to complete a medical and other formalities before the deal is made official.

The biggest question seems to be whether Njie will be registered in time for Spurs' weekend meeting with Stoke City.

Most Premier League fans will have seen little of Njie in action. YouTube videos show off his staggering pace, but the 21-year-old is a developing player with many strengths.

Aulas compared Njie to Samuel Eto'o (in French), but he lacks the explosive physical power and precision of the Cameroonian legend. Njie is still developing and comparisons at this point are unhelpful.

His pace is his greatest asset and he makes use of his advantage even without the ball. He is highly adept at unsettling defenders and creating space for teammates by making dangerous runs.

With the ball at his feet, he is a dangerous weapon on the counter. He is able to leave most defenders in his wake but also keep his head up to find the simple pass. He is much more than a simple speedster. He anticipates play well and has become a useful partner for Lyon's prolific centre-forward, Alexandre Lacazette.

He remains unpolished, with an occasionally heavy touch, and is heavily reliant on his right foot. However, those are weaknesses that can be improved upon.

Usually deployed on the wing, Njie offers creativity and directness.

WhoScored.com indicates he scored seven goals and laid on seven more in Ligue 1 last season. That boils down to a direct contribution to a goal roughly every 109 minutes that he was on the pitch. His goals won Lyon nine points in their ultimately failed title charge.

Tottenham's striking options would double with the signing of Njie.

Harry Kane remains the key man but Njie's arrival would add another dimension to their attack.

In Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, Spurs have a host of midfielders adept at playing passes through the opposition defence. Toby Alderweireld also loves to play sweeping balls out of defence.

Even Kane himself is a fine exponent of this tactic, but there are few players in Tottenham's squad capable of taking advantage of it.

Njie's presence on the pitch turns every opposition possession into a dangerous situation. His speed and intelligence can turn any turnover into a goal chance.

Having reportedly added to their striking options, Spurs are more flexible in attack and will be less predictable. Njie's arrival would take some of the pressure off Kane as opposition defences must devote some attention to him.

It cannot be Tottenham's final move in this transfer window, though.

If Tottenham are to do themselves justice this season, they must add another striker to their squad before the end of the summer.

David Vincent/Associated Press

The talent in the squad—namely the likes of Eriksen, Bentaleb and Kane—is good enough to threaten England's top teams.

Their performance at Old Trafford on the opening day was laudable, but the club must add more firepower to take advantage of the creative players already in the squad.

Njie would make Tottenham better, as he would provide competition for Spurs' wide players and an emergency replacement for Kane. With that said, he would not complete the side.

Saido Berahino has been consistently linked to Tottenham this summer. MailOnline's David Kent reported that the transfer is likely to be completed soon for around £18 million. The London Evening Standard (h/t the Independent) is confident that Javier Hernandez will make the move from Manchester United, possibly on loan.

If Spurs complete the signing of both Njie and one of Berahino or Hernandez, they will possess an attack capable of taking them through the coming season.

The talent already at the club is impressive, while the arrival of Njie would give them a new cutting edge.

Tottenham's young team is on the cusp of big things.