Tottenham are eyeing a number of midfield targets
Mousa Dembele can’t patrol Tottenham’s midfield forever and Mauricio Pochettino knows it. That’s why he has Spurs evaluating a number of potential successors for the talented Belgian.
The latest prospect to find his way onto the club’s radar is Lille midfielder Yves Bissouma. Reports from England claim that Spurs are considering a January swoop for the Ligue One starlet.
Some fans might think the club should be worried about other positions in January, but I’d argue that finding a new defensive midfielder needs to be near the top of Tottenham’s priorities. It’s clear to anyone who is paying attention that Dembele is slowing down at an alarming rate. He is still capable of playing brilliant football for brief stretches, but he’s no longer a reliable starter for Pochettino on any sort of regular basis.
Admittedly, the injury induced absence of Victor Wanyama has made missing Dembele more of an issue for Pochettino this year. Without either the Kenyan or Belgian destroyer in the starting XI, the Tottenham midfield tends to look a bit light. Harry Winks is a terrific midfielder in his own right, but he doesn’t have the physical strength of his more accomplished teammates. The Englishman is much more effective when he’s paired with a more defensive-minded partner in the double-pivot.
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For what it’s worth, Bissouma seems to be just the sort of player to fill Dembele’s shoes. At 21 years of age he isn’t ready to replace Dembele immediately, but he’s shown signs of real talent. He’s made 11 appearances for Lille this season in the heart of their midfield and has acquitted himself very well. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.89 doesn’t completely illustrate his impact on his French squad.
It’s telling that he’s played his best football for Lille when deployed deeper in the midfield. He isn’t a talented goal scorer, but he likes to throw his body around to shield his back four. If Tottenham are looking for another goal scoring threat, then Bissouma isn’t the right fit. If, however, Pochettino is looking for another player to stabilize his midfield, then Bissouma could be a terrific purchase.
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Signing the Mali midfielder won’t be easy though. Spurs will need to defeat Inter Milan if they want to win Bissouma’s services. Don’t count Tottenham out if they truly want to bring him to North London though. They have the financial power and playing time to win this transfer race.