Tottenham must aim higher to replace Mousa Dembele

If Tottenham are serious about replacing Mousa Dembele in the January transfer window, they need to start targeting better players.

Mousa Dembele’s excellent career at Tottenham could end any day. As soon as his move to China is complete, Spurs will be on the clock to purchase a quality midfield replacement. If the club intend to give Mauricio Pochettino an impactful player in January, they need to start targeting players who are actually capable of making an instant contribution.

Those sorts of players tend to be pretty expensive, but Daniel Levy has no excuse not to splash some cash after sitting out the entire summer transfer window. Yes, the club have an expensive stadium to pay for, but they must invest heavily in the squad if they want fans to fill it whenever it finally opens.

Unfortunately, it seems that Tottenham are still following their outdated transfer model. Recent reports claim they are eyeing Florian Grillitsch and Denis Zakaria as possible January additions. Simply put, neither player is going to make any difference for Tottenham’s seniors squad this season.

Let’s start with Grillitsch. The 23-year-old Austrian certainly has the size required to serve as a defensive midfielder in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen whether or not he has the skill to be anything other than a squad player. He does a good job shielding the back line at Hoffenheim, but he’s only managed one goal in 27 appearances across all competitions this year. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.93 in 14 Bundesliga appearances backs up the idea that he’s a pretty mediocre player.

Perhaps he can grow into something more under Pochettino’s tutelage, but he won’t develop enough to help Spurs this season. Adding Grillitsch would feel a bit like the ill-fated transfer that brought Benjamin Stambouli to North London. Grillitsch is available for just £18 million through his release clause, but there’s no indication he is anything special.

The club’s interest in Zakaria follows more recent transactions Tottenham have made. He, in sharp contrast to Grillitsch, appears to be a more dynamic player in the middle of the pitch. The 22-year-old Swiss International shows a terrific workrate when he plays for Monchengladbach. He isn’t full of goal scoring prowess either, but he does flash the ability to carry the ball forward via his dribbling skills. It’s possible Zakaria might turn into an above average regular, but his Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.50 in 15 Bundesliga appearances means that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

The unfortunate truth for Spurs fans is that it looks like Levy is trying to shop for Dembele’s successor in the bargain basement. That’s worked occasionally in the past, but it’s not a risk Tottenham need to take any longer. Pochettino’s project is attractive enough to interest high-quality players if Levy is willing to pay for their quality.