Following the arrivals of Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama, it is evident that Mauricio Pochettino is set on strengthening his Spurs squad ahead of a return to the Champions League next season.
Article by Harvey Simpson @Hotspur_Huddle
Our Argentinian manager has already addressed two key areas, the strike force and defensive midfield, but in which areas should we expect Pochettino to make additions to next? Or will chairman Daniel Levy restrict Pochettino from making any further signings this summer; the club are looking to make the jump from their current home of White Hart Lane to their new 61,000 capacity stadium and the plan may be to limit signings this summer to put money towards this exciting project.
Attacking Midfield
It looks almost certain now that French winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is making the move across the English Channel from Marseille after his barber inadvertently confirmed the move on social media. But N’Koudou is still a prospect, described as ‘raw’, and some reports have suggested that Spurs are still on the hunt for a more established and experienced winger this transfer window. Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela were the first choice wide men last season, with Nacer Chadli and Son Heung-min making appearances from the bench and in the cup fixtures. Pochettino and the recruitment team at Spurs could be searching for an extra player in the wide areas as Eriksen’s favoured position is in the centre of the attacking midfield trio and Son also prefers to play centrally. Spurs currently lack a direct winger who looks to take on players with pace following the departure of Andros Townsend to Newcastle and Pochettino may be looking to bolster his options on the wings ahead of his third season at the Lane.
Personally, I don't believe the club will sign another wide man this summer (if N’Koudou arrives) as we know that Pochettino loves to work with the younger players in his squad and will want to give them as much game time as possible next season - Spurs have Clinton N’Jie (possibly off to Marseille), Alex Pritchard and Josh Onomah in their ranks and Pochettino will seek to give these players opportunities next term and the chance to impress. Moreover, players we would have labelled ‘prospects’ upon their signing for the club have gone on to become first team regulars in their debut season for the team – Eric Dier scored on his debut against West Ham and went on to become an important first team defender in his first season at the club and Dele Alli was un-droppable come the end of last season with the team missing his talents in the last few games of the season when he was suspended. Pochettino will be looking to introduce N’Koudou into first team football next season and therefore may be unwilling to splash the cash on another midfield signing.
Central Defence
Several reports have suggested that central defender Federico Fazio is on his way out of the club with a return back to Spain being the most rumoured. This would leave Spurs with just three recognised centre-backs (Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Wimmer) and with Vertonghen currently injured after damaging his ankle at Euro 2016, it leaves Spurs short of options at the back. It is believed that Spurs are confident that Cameron Carter-Vickers can make the jump up from the club’s academy but surely the move from Under 21 matches to Premier League and Champions League matches will be too much for such a young and inexperienced player, a player who is yet to make his competitive debut for the club. Eric Dier can also slot into central defence but is vital in defensive midfield for Tottenham and Pochettino will be unwilling to move Dier from his role of providing protection to Vertonghen and Alderweireld. We shouldn’t be surprised if Spurs do make the decision to make an addition to the already strong defence because cover will be vital as we head into the new season.
Nowhere
If N’Koudou does arrive at White Hart Lane, Daniel Levy may be unwilling to sign many more players this summer. In the 2014-15 season, Spurs spent an estimated £27 million on signings in the summer in order to direct money into the Northumberland Development Project and the club has already spent £30 million on Janssen and Wanyama this summer. If N’Koudou does arrive for the estimated £11 million, we might not see any further new arrivals at the Lane this summer which could be seen as disappointing as some fans enjoy the club acquiring high-profile signings but also could be a positive as it creates a settled team before the campaign gets underway.
What do you think? Which areas will Spurs strengthen this summer? Who do you want to see Spurs sign? Comment below or send me a tweet, @Hotspur_Huddle.
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We need a beefy defender in the likes of Kaboul. No doubt many of these players will be slow, but we will be playing far superior (at least on paper) sides in the CL so we will be forced to do what weaker teams do to us in the premier league - defend resolutely and wait for the chance to make a couple of fast breakaways.
ReplyDeleteExtra tough guys are needed to undertake this job on a rational basis to intimidate top strikers! If vertongen cannot be fit most of the time, we need cover.
Yeah, we need a defender to come to Spurs - I'm not sure we can rely on Cameron Carter-Vickers because we are heading into the Champions League next season.
DeleteN'Koudou should be announced soon though