Beating Arsenal to Miguel Almiron would be terrific for Tottenham

Arsenal thought they had a deal done to bring Miguel Almiron to the Premier League, but now Tottenham are threatening to blow up their plans.

Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino haven’t battled on the pitch yet this season, but they may be poised to do battle in the transfer market. Both North London clubs are expressing strong interest in Atlanta United attacker Miguel Almiron.

The Gunners thought they had an agreement to bring the 24-year-old to North London, but suddenly reports emanating from Paraguay claim Tottenham may now lead the race for his signature. Those reports claim Spurs may be willing to pay upwards of £20 million for the MLS star.

Bringing Almiron from MLS to the Premier League is going to represent a significant risk for the club that makes it happen. It’s obviously a massive step up in terms of competition. With that being said, Almiron looks like a player who is worth the risk.

He is clearly Atlanta United’s best player. He’s scored 12 goals and added 11 assists during MLS play this year. More importantly, he leads the club with a Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.77. It may take him some time to adjust to life in England, but he shows a real creative flair on the pitch that should translate well to a higher level of competition.

Tottenham’s need for a player like Almiron is obvious. He thrives when he’s entrusted with a meaningful role in the center of the midfield. Atlanta deploy him as a No. 10 most often, but he’s also capable of playing a deeper role. That sort of versatility will certainly appeal to Pochettino.

Paying somewhere in the neighborhood of £20 million for an MLS star will certainly raise some eyebrows around Europe. For Spurs, it would be a clear effort to take advantage of a market inefficiency. Tottenham don’t want to pay top dollar for established stars in bigger European leagues. They’ll view the chance to sign Almiron at that price as a potential bargain.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Arsenal can be drawn into a bidding war for the talented Paraguay star. It’s possible this is a subtle move by Spurs designed to make the Gunners pay up for a player they fancy. There’s no definite reason to think Tottenham’s interest isn’t legitimate, but it’s a situation worth watching.

No matter what, expect to see Almiron involved in a North London Derby in the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen which side of the war he’ll be on.