Transfer News:
Mauricio Pochettino defined Mousa Dembele as a ‘genius’ and holds the Belgian in high regard. Unquestionably, the Belgian’s importance to Spurs’ functioning on the field is extremely crucial. He is their pivot in the midfield and holds the defence, whilst also making decisive runs ahead. However, Dembele’s future at Tottenham is under speculation as of now as there are rumours that he might take a final call after the World Cup.
Even if he does not leave the club, Tottenham would be keen to reinforce their midfield in the summer transfer window. As of now, Pochettino’s squad is quite bleak and he might prefer some backups so that his side can finally put an end to their trophy-drought next season. Accordingly, recent reports are linking Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara to a move to North London.
Until now, Diawara has largely been known as a backup for Jorginho. However, with his talent and potential, the scouts from the North London club are said to be impressed and hence they would target him in the coming summer.
Know Amadou:
The young Guinean is a midfielder enforcer of sorts, but is very calm and assured on the ball for a lad of his age. He can break down attacks due to his astute positioning and can sit in front of the defence to shield his defence constantly. His expansive passing range combined with the ability to spray the ball out from the deep midfield makes him a unique prospect for Napoli. At such a young age, he has the time to improve his game but has already shown signs of what could turn out to be a promising career.
This season, Amadou has featured in 18 matches in the Serie A and has scored once whilst having assisted once too. However, his passing ability impresses the most. In the league, he has completed 93% of his passes and rarely ever loses the ball at the centre of the park. Diawara always looks to contribute to attacking moves and hence his tendency to make forward passes should not be neglected. However, he is easily beaten in aerial duels and that is an aspect where he would have to upgrade his game.
Should Spurs make a move?
Tottenham are in dire need of some new midfielders as Harry Winks is quite one-dimensional and Victor Wanyama has been injured for quite long now. Additionally, there are some serious doubts over Moussa Dembele’s future at the club and hence Pochettino needs to renew his squad in order to challenge in all competitions.
Amadou’s game needs some refining, and there are few coaches in European football who can be a better mentor to youngsters than the Argentine boss can. Though Napoli would be reluctant to let their starlet leave, it would be for the greater good of the player himself.