Tottenham Hotspur approach Uruguayan goal-machine: Do they really need him?

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Celta Vigo regarding the potential transfer for Maxi Gomez, it has been claimed.

The Lilywhites are ready to make a £43 million swoop for the Celta Vigo forward, who has been courted by West Ham United and Liverpool as well.

According to Daily Star, Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position to sign Gomez this summer.

Maxi Gomez: Do Spurs really need him?

Having failed to sign any player in the last couple of transfer windows, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to add more quality to his team this summer.

The attacking department, in particular, is lacking depth, with Harry Kane being the only reliable number-nine. Spurs were rather fortunate following Kane’s injury earlier this year, as Heung-Min Son stepped up to the plate, ultimately ending the 2018/19 campaign as one of the club’s best performers.

Hence, the addition of another attacker is imperative as Tottenham will look to continue their push for the Premier League title next season. But, making a £43 million for a player, who is largely expected to play second-fiddle to Kane, seems a bit too expensive for Spurs.

Indeed, Gomez, despite his excellent scoring record in La Liga over the past two seasons, is unlikely to preferred to Kane unless Pochettino is willing to shift to a 4-4-2 formation next season. And that is even more unlikely.

The fact that Gomez has no offensive versatility to his game would make it difficult for the Argentine to accommodate him into his attacking unit. Although he has often used a 3-4-1-2 formation this season, the return of Dele Alli would make it virtually impossible for Pochettino to start with two forwards.

Therefore, squashing £43 million clearly doesn’t make sense for Tottenham, who are in desperate need of reinforcements in the midfield and defensive department. And if they are to bolster their attacking department this summer, going in someone more versatile and creative than Gomez would perhaps be more logical.

As for Gomez himself, a move to Liverpool and West Ham makes much more sense if he wants regular game-time next season. At Liverpool, he will have a serious chance of competing with Roberto Firmino for the number nine role, considering the Reds might look to end their poor run in the domestic cups.

At West Ham, Gomez has an even bigger chance to become the guaranteed centre-forward in Pellegrini’s 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 setup.

That being said, Pochettino is a tactically nuanced manager, who is more than capable of bringing out the best from any player in the world. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the Argentine plans to utilise Gomez’s qualities should he end up at Tottenham Hotspur next season.