According to Express, Tottenham Hotspur have gotten in touch with the agent of Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong amid speculation linking Christian Eriksen with a move away from England.
As a result, the Lilywhites have apparently identified de Jong as the candidate to replace the Danish international. But, is he the right choice for Mauricio Pochettino?
Why should Tottenham go all out for Frenkie de Jong
Tottenham’s struggles in the midfield department have been well documented this season, with a host of key midfielders missing out due to frequent injuries over the course of the season.
And while Pochettino has somewhat managed to find adequate cover in the holding midfield role, Spurs have struggled to provide creativity without the services of Christian Eriksen, especially with Dele Alli not exerting the same dominance as before.
Therefore, the addition of de Jong could make a world of sense for Tottenham even if Eriksen ends up leaving north London next summer.
Much like the Danish international, the Ajax starlet is blessed with immense technical qualities, which helps him recycle possession as well as thread accurate long-balls – something you would normally expect from an Ajax midfielder. In fact, he has averaged 80 passes this season with an incredible accuracy of 92%.
However, what makes de Jong a class apart, is his excellent attacking prowess as the 21-year-old is a confident dribbler, who can get past defenders at ease while sublime control on the ball enables him to keep hold of the ball even in tight spaces. He has averaged 1.3 key passes per game, which is only 0.5 fewer than what Eriksen (Spurs’ chief creator) has delivered this season.
But most importantly, the 21-year-old is a tactically astute midfielder, who shouldn’t find any difficulties in adapting to Pochettino’s front-footed build-up and aggressive approach in the final third – making him a tailor-made fit for the Lilywhites.
Although de Jong might not necessarily be an offensive-minded midfielder like Eriksen, he can certainly provide something different to what Pochettino currently has, at the moment. And the fact that he can play anywhere across the midfield would be priceless for Spurs, who, as mentioned earlier, have had their key midfielders, miss a chunk of the season due to injuries.
However, Tottenham will certainly face stiff competition with a host of clubs including the financially stronger Manchester City and Barcelona very much interested in the services of de Jong, who is destined to make a big money move next summer.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
