In the 2016-17 campaign of the Premier League, it was intriguing to see the manner in which Mauricio Pochettino led Tottenham Hotspur and marshalled his troops. Spurs were really consistent and were the only side to mount pressure on Chelsea for the English top flight’s silverware. They looked sharp in every aspect and no wonder the entire football fraternity is having a mouthful of praises for them.
However, the Lilywhites have been very quiet in the ongoing summer transfer window and by their lack of actions, it goes without saying that Pochettino is relying heavily upon the group cohesiveness and doesn’t intend to make ramifications to the side which yielded notable outputs last season. Nonetheless, for a club of their stature, a deal or two might be on the cards before the curtains of the summer transfer window fall.
If one of the latest reports is to be believed, the North London outfit are keen to lure Barcelona’s prodigal son, Rafinha Alcantara this summer, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Inter and AC Milan rivalling them for the midfielder. Rafinha emerged through the youth ranks of Barcelona and paved his way to Barcelona B. Eventually, he was given the chance to represent Blaugrana in La Liga but owing to the star studded squad which the Spanish top flight’s runners-up have, he is struggling to accumulate game time under his belt.
The Brazilian international is a player who is technically very sound and the fact that he can be effectively deployed in a wide range of slots such as the central midfield, right wing as well as a striker is quite intriguing. He dribbles well, is an excellent passer of the ball, is good at holding the ball and contributes heavily in terms of catering to his defensive aspects and frankly speaking, he is a complete package. Besides, he is quick and has shown immense maturity so far and no wonder he has so many admirers who would cherish signing him.
Last season in La Liga, Rafinha registered 18 appearances to his name, whilst which he banged 6 goals and set up 2. More importantly, he carved a riveting pass completion rate of 92.6%, which is outstanding, to say the least. Although he isn’t familiar with the Premier League, at the onset, it appears that he has all the ingredients necessary to thrive in the same and his arrival at Spurs will surely lift the quality of Pochettino’s arsenal to a huge extent.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
