Tottenham Hotspur need to get a move on in the transfer market as they haven’t signed anyone yet. They have been linked with a few players, though, and the latest reports from Daily Star have linked the club with a move for Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook.
The same report states that Spurs are willing to pay £30 million for the former Leeds United star as they need more options in midfield. Tottenham are likely to face competition from Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp is also a fan of the box to box midfielder.
Lewis Cook – Fact file
A Leeds United academy product, Lewis Cook had an impressive few years in the more rugged Championship which led to a move to Bournemouth. He broke into the Leeds senior side during the 2014-15 season and his impressive performances in the subsequent season earned him quite a lot of plaudits.
His first season at Brighton was about getting used to the pace of the game. He made just six appearances during the 2016-17 campaign. Last season, however, he managed to become one of the first names on the team sheet.
You could see that his confidence was high last season as he was often a key player in the transition play Bournemouth managed.
Cook’s defensive work rate was immaculate last season as he managed to make 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game. Eddie Howe’s side are usually more attack-minded as they try to play good football.
Cook was an important figure in midfield not only because of his ability to put those tackles in. He is pretty good with the ball and made 1.7 dribbles a game. He also averaged at least one key pass a game.
A complete midfield package
The aforementioned stats tell us that Cook is an all-action midfielder. Whilst he was at Leeds, he was often compared to Jack Wilshere for his style. Wilshere might have tailed off, but Cook’s rise is pretty good for English football and Tottenham if the latter can sign him.
At present, Spurs have two defensive-minded midfielders in Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier. Mousa Dembele is one player who likes going forward or has the ability to spread play. In other words, he is more creative than the other two mentioned midfielders.
Cook is someone who comes close to Dembele in terms of style, though they are two very different specimens in terms of their physicality. Cook is still only 21 and could be a good long-term prospect, so £30 million in today’s market is a decent enough fee.
Stats via Whoscored