Arsenal have paved the way for Tottenham to poach Manchester United star
Arsenal may have pushed a United star to Tottenham
Alexis Sanchez moving from Arsenal to Manchester United may end up causing serious friction between the Gunners and their North London rivals. Arsene Wenger’s decision to ship Alexis to Old Trafford has made Marcus Rashford surplus to requirements at United. Tottenham Hotspur are ready to take advantage of the situation.
Oddsmakers in England have installed Mauricio Pochettino’s club as the favourites to land Rashford this summer. We aren’t talking about long odds either. Ladbrokes place the odds of Tottenham landing the English star at a measly 2/1.
It’s easy to see why Rashford might be ready to leave United. The recent arrival of Alexis has pushed him to the periphery of Jose Mourinho’s squad. He’s found it nearly impossible to break in front of the Chilean, or Frenchman Anthony Martial in the Manchester United starting XI. Rashford will certainly be interested in finding a club where he can achieve more regular playing time this summer.
The real question is whether or not Tottenham are that club. It’s not as if Pochettino’s squad is short of attacking talent. Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son seem entrenched as the club’s three starters in the attacking midfield. Erik Lamela and recent arrival Lucas Moura give the Argentine quality options off the bench too.
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On the other hand, Tottenham rarely pass up the chance to purchase and cultivate top-notch English talent. Despite Rashford’s recent struggles at Old Trafford, he certainly qualifies. His pace and proven goal scoring ability would be attractive qualities for any club. It’s very possible that Pochettino could see Rashford as an upgrade over one of his current starters.
The more likely explanation for Spurs being interested in Rashford is a desire to make him Harry Kane’s understudy. His chief success for United came when he was deployed as the club’s centre forward. Rashford would definitely be a massive upgrade over Fernando Llorente as Tottenham’s second striker.
That doesn’t mean he’d only play as a centre forward. The ideal role for Rashford would be to serve as Kane’s backup while also being a key part of Pochettino’s rotating options in the attacking midfield. Buying Rashford would also give Tottenham the ability to play multiple strikers at once. Pochettino has tried that upon occasion with Llorente, but his lack of pace has made it a fruitless effort.
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I have my doubts as to whether or not United will really sell Rashford this summer, but if they do, expect Tottenham to be a serious player for his services. Pochettino would relish the opportunity to polish another English starlet into a diamond at Spurs.