Tottenham are in need of another dynamic midfielder
Gareth Bale isn’t the only Real Madrid star that Tottenham have an interest in acquiring. Mauricio Pochettino and company would also like to add Dani Ceballos to their talented midfield. The Spanish starlet doesn’t appear to be in Zinedine Zidane’s plans, but Pochettino would certainly give Ceballos an opportunity to carve out a meaningful role at Spurs.
Reports from Spain claim that Tottenham, Arsenal, Roma and AC Milan are all keeping tabs on Ceballos’ status for Los Blancos. Florentino Perez purchased him to add to Real’s cadre of young Spanish talent, but he’s been unable to make a positive impression on his French manager. Zidane has only seen fit to award Ceballos five La Liga appearances on the campaign.
Ceballos didn’t expect to waltz right into Los Blancos’ starting XI, but he certainly thought he’d be one of Zidane’s top substitutes. He is reportedly very unhappy with his current role in the squad. As such, a January move could be in the cards for the former Real Betis midfielder.
It’s easy to see why Tottenham would be interested in such a high-end young talent. Mousa Dembele is showing serious signs of aging in Pochettino’s midfield. It’s unclear whether or not his body will ever allow him to be a regular starter for Spurs again. If he isn’t able to make a full recovery, Tottenham will look to purchase a long-term partner for Harry Winks in one of the next two transfer windows.
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Ceballos would represent one of the best options out there. He isn’t a finished product on the offensive end of the pitch, but he is a legitimate two-way midfielder. Over the long haul, he has the defensive prowess to serve as a perfect partner for Winks. His addition to the Tottenham squad would immediately provide Pochettino with significantly more tactical flexibility than he currently enjoys.
The real question, as always, will be whether or not Real Madrid are ready to let such a brilliant young talent leave. He isn’t a big factor for Los Blancos currently, but he’s the sort of player that could become a world-class star in just a few years. Real Madrid have a nasty habit of keeping that sort of talent in Spain even if they’re unhappy with their current roles.
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That means that Tottenham will need to tempt Real Madrid with a significant financial offer to bring them to the negotiating table. Daniel Levy might not be quite ready for that sort of expenditure in the midfield. As such, don’t expect Ceballos to end up with Spurs in January. A summer move would be a much more realistic option for Tottenham.