According to Calcio Mercato, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the services of Feyenoord midfielder Tonny Vilhena.
The Dutch international has been excellent so far this season and has attracted the interest of Mauricio Pochettino and other top clubs around Europe.
We look at the pros and cons of Vilhena’s potential move to North-London.
Pros
Vilhena is primarily known for his creative output in midfield, which makes him one of the most sought-after players in Dutch football. The 23-year-old has provided almost one key pass per game this season and has a decent passing accuracy of 83%.
Those mentioned above could be ideal for Pochettino, whose side have relied too much on Christian Eriksen, at times, during the past couple of the seasons. And thus, Vilhena’s addition will significantly decrease the reliance on Eriksen regarding build-up as well as chance creation.
However, what makes Vilhena an appealing target for Spurs is his willingness to try and find the back of the net. The Dutchman has averaged an incredible tally of 2.7 attempts per game, which is higher than all the other Spurs midfielders this season; this indicates that even though Vilhena may have a low scoring rate, he likes to get into goal-scoring positions.
Furthermore, Vilhena is an excellent tackler as well, having averaged 1.7 tackles per game. And being so young, we assume that Vilhena will keep improving in the future, especially under Pochettino, who has an impressive repertoire of nurturing young players.
Therefore, Vilhena is a viable target for the Lilywhites as they aim to strengthen their midfield department.
Cons
No player is perfect, and Vilhena is no exception. Although the 23-year-old is blessed with immense technical qualities, he often struggles in aerial duels, mainly due to his slender frame of 175cm. He also has a dribble success rate of 43%, meaning he’s certainly not the most efficient dribblers around.
Additionally, Vilhena lacks versatility in his game, which is something Pochettino looks wants from his midfielders. However, he is still young, so he could be chiselled to play in that role.
That being said, the Feyenoord midfielder does have an impressive skillset that may help him become an asset for Tottenham in the future.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored