Hello Mr. Chadli

Article by e-Spurs Writer Matt Tumminia (USA)

A quick look at our newest addition at Spurs

My Sunday morning started off like any other one. Coffee, 3 yr old screaming about how cool his firetruck is and a big bowl of raisin bran, in that order, while keeping my noise at a minimum so that I do not awaken my better half. Yes, I know, I live the life everyone wishes they could. Therefore, it came as a surprise to me when I learned that Spurs did some good business with the signing of FC Twente’s high-flying winger, Nacer Chadli. Young and talented with pace to burn, comfortable with both feet and a real eye for goal, he represents a great buy for relatively low cost (somewhere between £7-9 mil). This young man had been regarded as the best player in the Eredivisie from none other than former superstar and current manager of Ajax, Frank de Boer, which may come as a surprise to some as his squad possesses the highly regarded Christian Eriksen, but quite the compliment indeed.

Background

 

Nacer spent the last three years at FC Twente where he became an integral part of “The Reds” success which included two appearances in the Champions League and a Dutch Cup triumph. Standing at 6’2”, he is not your prototypical winger as he is built like a brick house and is capable of either going around you with his speed, or right through you. Either way, you are going to get embarrassed by him. Full of tricks and a wicked shot that he can take with either foot, this kid fulfils a lot of characteristics one looks for when searching for a capable winger to play in a 4-3-3, which is the formation that we will probably be using next term. Coming up through the youth ranks at the Belgian club Standard Liège, he signed his first professional contract with a small Dutch club named AGOVV Apeldoorn, where he went on to make 89 appearances while scoring 28 goals. These goals and his talent did not go unnoticed as he was then snapped up by reigning Eredivisie champions FC Twente, where he helped “The Reds” finish runners-up in the league, while helping Twente win the Dutch cup over rivals Ajax. Comfortable playing as a winger/wide forward on either side of a 4-3-3, he become one of the most feared players in the league due to his sheer pace, hard shot and unpredictability on the wing. He can stay wide, get chalk on his boots and send accurate crosses into the box or tuck in and unleash pile drivers from distance with either foot. This player is definitely someone who AVB has had his eye on for some time as he understands the 4-3-3 and can seamlessly fit into the manager’s preferred system.

 

Style of Play

A lot of flash with plenty of substance, Nacer oozes confidence and brazen arrogance, which is good in a footballer, to take on whoever tries to stand in his way. He has taken a page from the Ronaldo book and likes to use a great deal of step-overs and other types of tricks to beat his marker or create space for a shot or a cross. He prefers to run at defenders and force them to commit, which then will allow Nacer to avoid such challenges and cause even more havoc. Capable of breaking quickly, he scored the majority of his goals on the counterattack, which is exactly what Spurs tend to do. Possessing a high level of technique, he can take free-kicks with power and accuracy while making the ball behave similarly to Gareth Bale, Ronaldo or former Lyon free-kick specialist, Juninho. Besides the offensive threat, he has been known to track back and put in a defensive shift to help his side when not in possession of the ball. He also has a great deal of energy and stamina so that he can still cause major headaches to the opposition late in a match, again, perfect for Spurs. The only area I hope he improves is his distribution, which can be wayward at times and last season, he was only able to notch one assist to his name, which may be deceiving as he was sometimes the player to play the pass before the assist. Regardless, his stats will more than likely improve as Spurs possess better overall players than Twente, no offence to the Dutch squad but the PL is tougher than the Eredivisie.

Final Thoughts

Levy bagged a good player who could become better than he is with the right amount of tutelage under AVB and his development should continue alongside players such as Bale, Siggy and his Belgian compatriots, Jan and Moussa. For relatively cheap money and little to no risk, this is exactly the type of signing Spurs need to get over the proverbial hump and really make some noise near the top of the table. Thanks for reading! COYS!

 

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