Why Adrien Silva Is A Good Option For Tottenham Hotspur
According to Portuguese newspaper Record (via Express), Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a summer move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Adrien Silva. The 28-year old was on the radar of several Premier League clubs last summer, but no move materialised. However, the Premier League runners-up are planning a £26.5million bid for his services ahead of the upcoming term, the report claims.
Tottenham had another excellent Premier League campaign, as they bettered their outcome from the 2015-16 season, to finish 2nd in the table. The North Londoners were in the race for the title for large parts of the season, until a loss to West Ham United in the business end derailed their bid for the Premier League crown.
However, their European campaign left a lot to be desired as they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stages and then were dumped out of the UEFA Europa League in the Round-of-32 stages. Manager Mauricio Pochettino will be keen on changing the club’s fortunes in Europe for the upcoming season, while he will also try and mount a stronger challenge to get their hands on the league title as well.
For it to happen, the summer transfer window will be extremely pivotal. Tottenham have a very good playing XI that needs little tinkering with, but a title is won not just with a strong starting XI and that is something that Tottenham need to address. The overall squad strength was a major factor in their shortcomings last time around, and Pochettino will be very much aware of that and will want to add more quality and depth to his squad ahead of next term.
Adrien Silva has been one of the best central midfielders in the Portuguese footballing scenes in recent years and has been performing at the top level for quite a long time now. The 28-year old was one of the key players that helped Portugal win the UEFA Euro 2016 crown in France last year and following the Euro triumph, there was a lot of interest in his services with former Premier League champions Leicester City monitoring Silva heavily (Express).
However, a move did not come to fruition and the Portugal international stayed put with Sporting, where he had another very good season, as he finished with 6 goals and 4 assists from 36 games across all competitions, leading them to a 3rd-placed finish in the league.
A combative midfielder by trade, Silva is known for the tenacity and the defensive nous that he brings to the table, with his crunching tackles and good anticipation skills. This makes him an effective screen for the back four. Along with adding the steel in the middle of the park, the 28-year old also has the ability to create chances in plenty for his teammates, with his excellent range of distribution and his keen eye for a pass. As it was seen last season, he chips in with a good number of goals from the midfield, making him an excellent all-round option to have in the ranks.
Tottenham are pretty well covered in the central midfield positions, with Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama forming a formidable partnership in the centre of the park. Pochettino can always rely on the versatile Eric Dier to fill in if need be, as the Englishman has shown that he can be a more than capable central midfielder. With the emergence of Harry Winks on the scenes as well, it does seem like Spurs don’t really need an extra body in the central midfield.
However, with Dier’s future under certain amount of doubt, amid serious interests from league rivals Manchester United, the North Londoners could look at bringing in a new midfielder and Silva will be the perfect option to look at.
At 28, he is in his best years, and has a wealth of experience behind him that will hold him in good stead and would also help the relatively young Tottenham squad. Also the fact that he has won many major honours in his career so far is another advantage as that winning mentality can rub off on the team when they chase glory.
There maybe doubts in the minds of several supporters about spending as much as £26million on a player who is in his late twenties and has never played outside Portugal. But, in the current condition of the transfer market, someone with the quality and experience of Silva at that price could turn out to be an excellent piece of investment.