Forget Son Heung-min – Tottenham should join Arsenal in the chase for this £45m World Cup star

Why should Tottenham join the race for Swedish sensation Emil Forsberg

The ongoing football carnival in Russia has slowed down the cadence of rumour mills but the event, at the same time, is allowing clubs to monitor their preferred options featuring in the World Cup.

Sweden, although they knocked the Netherlands out during qualifiers and Italy in the playoff, were unlikely to progress too far despite making it to Russia. But their story was quite inspiring as they not only made it to the quarterfinal by defying the odds but also exhibiting an incredible team spirit with little-known stars.

Emil Forsberg, the wide attacker from RB Leipzig, remains the only familiar name who earned a lot of credits following a stellar show in the Bundesliga.

His return of 8 goals and an astounding 22 assists in the 2016/17 season made him a prime transfer target of Premier League big guns Liverpool as well as Arsenal, however, an underwhelming season cooled down the speculations to a certain extent.

Tottenham Hotspur, now a regular top-4 finisher in the Premier League, have emerged as an admirable European force under their young Argentine gaffer Mauricio Pochettino, who has guided several youngsters to flourish as top talents of Europe.

But the latest uncertainty over Heung-min Son‘s Spurs future might lead to reinforcements in the attacking third and the North Londoners must challenge their Premier League rivals to bring in Emil Forsberg – a like-to-like replacement for Son due to his eminence down the left flank.

The 26-year-old Swedish sensation, however, after an average season, has uplifted his game significantly in this World Cup where he is instigating counter-attacking moves to exploit team’s strategy and despite a wicked deflection, his strike versus Switzerland sealed them a berth in the last eight.

Forsberg’s stunning show earned the newly-promoted Leipzig a runners-up place in German top-tier but any possible move was blocked by the club as they ignored the player’s desire.

But a sixth-place finish last term has put them on the backfoot and a commendable run in world’s greatest football tournament should see new suitors joining the chase for the dynamic winger.

Although Forsberg is not as pacy as the South Korean superstar, his high work ethic, close control, vision and creativity make him a perfect fit for Pochettino’s gameplan and a fee of around £45m is tipped to be enough to seal a deal for the Swedish international.

Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur chairman, is known as a tough negotiator and is likely to grab a decent sum for Son if he’s sold.

Read More: Why signing this £30m English sensation could be the biggest blunder by Tottenham this summer

Meanwhile, a long-term contract at Leipzig and the World Cup masterclass might lead to an uprise in Forsberg’s asking fee but Spurs should still lead the chase and lure him in.