Tottenham should step up and beat Everton in the race to sign Morgan Schneiderlin
Conventional footballing wisdom believes that Manchester United are poised to sell Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton at any moment. That makes this the perfect time for Tottenham to swoop in to secure the French star’s services.
The Metro, along with many other news outlets, are reporting that new Everton boss Ronald Koeman wants to make Schneiderlin the first signing of his tenure at Goodison Park. New United boss Jose Mourinho is thought to be ok with letting the Frenchman leave after his mediocre performance last season under Louis van Gaal.
I’ve already written at length on why selling Schneiderlin is a mistake for United, but now I want to focus on the right club to sign him. Tottenham shouldn’t give Everton the opportunity to sign such a world-class midfield target.
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At first glance, many Spurs fans might think the club is set in the defensive midfield with the purchase of Victor Wanyama from Southampton. I, on the other hand, believe there’s still work to be done in the middle of the park at White Hart Lane.
Signing Wanyama was an excellent first step in solving Spurs’ woes in the defensive midfield, but it doesn’t completely fix the issue. The arrival of the Kenyan gives manager Mauricio Pochettino with a solid trio of options in the double-pivot, but one injury would still leave Tottenham quite short of cover in a very important position.
Eric Dier was excellent for both club and country this past season, but he can’t be counted on to play that many minutes in 2016-17. Mousa Dembele was arguably Tottenham’s best player last year, but he’s been injured entirely too often during his time at the club to be counted on as a starter every week. Quality cover in the defensive midfield is every bit as important as at the striker position.
Wanyama provides Pochettino with one solid option, but if Tottenham really want to be able to compete in all competitions they’re going to need a fourth option. Morgan Schneiderlin might be the best potential option on the market this summer.
Schneiderlin could be the perfect back-up for Dembele in the Spurs starting 11. Wanyama likes to play a deep role similar to Dier, whereas Schneiderlin is just as comfortable getting forward. That means he can really replicate what Dembele gives the club in the middle of the pitch.
United only paid 24 million pounds for the French international’s services, and it’s likely they’d take less to be rid of him. Acquiring a player with that sort of talent for just 20 million pounds or so would be an absolute steal.
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I do have some question as to whether or not Schneiderlin would be willing to sign with Tottenham given the possibility of playing such a limited role. Ultimately though, I think his comfort level with Mauricio Pochettino combined with the presence of his French captain, Hugo Lloris, would make Spurs an attractive destination.
It’s also not impossible that Schneiderlin could earn a place in the starting 11 if he returned to his form from just two seasons ago. He was an absolute beast for Southampton as the anchor for their midfield. If he found that form, he could conceivably push either Dembele or Dier out of the starting 11. That might sound like heresy right now, but remember that last year most Spurs fans believed that Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb would be Pochettino’s first choice pairing for years to come.
Purchasing a fourth defensive midfielder shouldn’t take precedence over Tottenham’s quest for another striker, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a priority. Adding Morgan Schneiderlin to the squad would solidify the Spurs defensive midfield options for years to come. All Tottenham need to do is beat Everton to the punch.