Over the last few weeks, Tottenham Hotspurs have been linked with a move for FC Utrecht striker Sebastien Haller. With many believing that Mauricio Pochettino needs to provide cover for his main striker Harry Kane, Haller might be the ideal signing for Spurs. Indeed, they also have Vincent Janssen in their ranks, but the Dutch striker has so far failed to take his chances in Kane’s absence.
In this scenario, Haller has emerged as a potential target for Pochettino. Standing at 6’2”, the French striker is the ideal man to play the lone striker role at Spurs. At Utrecht, Haller has been used through the middle as a pivot to create chances in and around the danger area, a role that Kane thrives in at Spurs.
Another similar aspect between the two forwards is their efficiency in the box when presented with a chance. Haller is also well known for his ball holding capabilities and aerial ability. He is very much adept at using his strength to protect the ball and flicking it on for a teammate or playing a diagonal through ball. His technical ability is also very sound and much like Kane he can take venomous shots on goal.
The Frenchman is good with the ball at his feet in tight spaces and at the same time is ruthless when given an inch of space. In modern day football, he is very much a complete forward. What more is that he often tracks back to help his team regain possession. And given that he is only 22 years old, he will only improve with time.
He has already scored 37 league goals for Utrecht in 68 appearances. This season he has scored nine goals in the league and averages 2.9 shots per game, and 1.5 key passes per game. Combined with the other aspects of his personal dossier, he’s a force to be reckoned with in the final third.
Haller’s only drawback is to fend for himself when the going gets tough. Without any quality supply, he fails to shine but then again he is not of the mould of Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez. And at Spurs, with Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli playing behind him, there will be no problems as far as quality supply is concerned.
His contribution on the pitch, mainly winning the first-time headers or taking the opportunities would come in handy for any team in the world. Now, obviously Kane is the first-choice striker and if he moves to White Hart Lane, Haller has to accept that. Also, Pochettino will have to use the youngster in an intelligent manner in the Premier League given the record of strikers coming in from Holland.
But do Tottenham really need him? With Kane and Heung-Min Son both in the mix of things, one might think that another addition would not be necessary. But as they say, you can never have too many goal-scorers. Pochettino has already shown that he is not afraid to rectify mistakes quickly with the departures of Benjamin Stambouli and Clinton N’Jie. And If Janssen is offloaded, Haller could be the ideal man to replace the Sutch striker.