Tottenham transfer target signals tactical shift for Pochettino

Signing Davinson Sanchez would equal big changes for Tottenham

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has made Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez the club’s top summer transfer target. If Spurs are successful in signing the Colombian defender, it’s going to signal a tactical shift for the North London giants.

By now, reports linking Spurs with the Ajax defender have been published far and wide across Europe. Some sources claim the deal is imminent, while others cite Ajax’s desire to keep hold of their prized defenders as a significant stumbling block. No matter where you believe negotiations stand at the current point in time, it’s clear that Tottenham are very serious about signing the talented centre back.

It’s important to point out that Spurs are reportedly going to break their transfer record to sign the central defender. That reality has struck quite a few fans as odd. After all, Pochettino currently has the luxury of lining up Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld as his starting centre backs on a weekly basis. Spending a transfer fee in the neighborhood of £40 million doesn’t seem like an efficient use of funds.

I’d be inclined to agree if I believed Pochettino was bringing Sanchez in to serve as a reserve. On the contrary, I think Spurs are bringing Sanchez in to challenge for an immediate place in the starting XI. The Argentine gaffer clearly wants to transition his club to playing a 3-4-3 full-time.

Such a tactical shift requires Tottenham to bring in another high quality centre back to play every week. It’s clear that Pochettino doesn’t believe Kevin Wimmer can handle the responsibility. It’s very possible he’ll be shipped to Southampton in the coming weeks. At any rate, he lacks the pace and skill on the ball to flourish under Pochettino.

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The other current in-house option is to deploy Eric Dier as the third centre back. Pochettino utilized that option last season quite a bit, but Dier’s clearly at his best as a defensive midfielder. It’s best for the club if he begins to rotate with Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and (to a lesser extent) Harry Winks in that area of the pitch. His transition back into the midfield gives Spurs the proper amount of depth, talent and experience to compete in all competitions.

The acquisition of Sanchez might also lessen Tottenham’s need to purchase a new right back. Kyle Walker-Peters was excellent in his debut against Newcastle, but he relied heavily on his defensive midfielders to provide support. Deploying him as a wing back in a 3-4-3 formation would give him even more defensive support. Specifically, putting a defender like Sanchez with real pace behind him would give him a ton of freedom going forward. The same can be said for Kieran Trippier when he returns given his lack of pace. Buying Sanchez could allow Spurs to stand pat with their current right back options.

Next: Kyle Walker-Peters puts in a solid shift for Spurs

Tottenham are not going to break their transfer record on a reserve centre back. If the club successfully acquire Davinson Sanchez, he’s going to be expected to join the starting XI. That means Pochettino will be playing three at the back even more this season.

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