Having made a winning start to their Premier League campaign, Tottenham Hotspur will be confident going into the first half of the season but Mauricio Pochettino will know that his squad can do with a couple of additions before the deadline day. He has been scouting some smart and exciting players this summer but is yet to make his first signing of the transfer window.
However, that could all change in the upcoming days as they were given a huge boost in the pursuit of their top transfer targets this summer.
Keita Balde unsettled
Pochettino has a unique recruitment model and it is understood that Lazio star Keita Balde Diao is one player he is desperate to sign this summer. Spurs were not able to lure him out of the club earlier in the window but the player has now voiced his frustration on social media and is currently unsettled in Italy.
He was omitted from the squad in a recent game against Juventus in the Italian Super Cup and he took to twitter to reveal that he is ‘psychologically uncomfortable’ with his position at the club. Spurs are understood to be ready to make a move so is Balde a decent addition to the squad for the North London side?
Ketia’s potential
A product of La Masia Academy in Barcelona, the 22-year old moved to Lazio’s youth academy in 2011 and just two years later, was promoted into the senior side. He took time to cement a place in the first team but in the last couple of seasons, is one of the first names on the team sheet for the Italian outfit.
At just 22, the versatile attacker has already made 110 Serie A appearances and has made a name for himself in the international scene with three goals in 12 games for the Senegalese national side.
Also wanted by AS Monaco, Juventus and West Ham, the Lazio man is known for his keen eye for goal and exceptional finishing abilities. He loves to have the ball at his feet to make space for himself in the final third, to try and find the back of the net on a consistent basis. He can play on the left-wing or even as a centre forward and his versatility is something that will attract Pochettino.
Just what Spurs need
The Argentine manager has an energetic squad that plays a unique brand of football that seems to be working well in the English top flight. The Lazio man is a perfect fit for this model and can walk into the first team this season.
Pochettino is not a man that is afraid to give youngsters their chances and Balde is expected to start in his preferred left-wing role, with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane as a part of the attacking quartet. He can also deputize for Kane in times of need and is a player that will solve both the problems in attack for Spurs this summer.
His dynamism will also add another dimension to the attack for the English side but do you think Spurs can fend off interests from the Italian champions to land this exciting star?
