Tottenham suffered a massive collapse at the end of last season, which not only resulted in ending their title ambition but also saw them finish before North London rivals Arsenal. However manager Mauricio Pochettino will be happy with the progress his squad made over the last year. They were excellent going forward and solid while defending. He will be particularly pleased with the performance of Dele Alli and Harry Kane. Although one can point to the fact that it was his over reliance on the duo that costs Spurs the title. The North London club didn’t have good quality back up to cover for the English pair, which led to the team struggling in periods when even one of them missing.
Pochettino will be desperate to land a striker this summer who can cover for Kane and allow him some much needed rest. However he must also focus on plugging other gaps, which might come to prove costly next season. It is interesting that Tottenham have been very quiet this summer, while their other rivals have already invested heavily in rejuvenating their squads.
Newcastle were relegated last season, which has put a massive doubt in the future of their players. One of them being Georginio Wijnaldum, the Dutch player joined the Mapgies in a 14.5 million pound deal last summer, but may be keen to leave after seeing the club relegated to the Championship.
Although we must keep in mind that he is not being brought to White Hart Lane to provide an extra striking option, rather he will have to find a place in an already full Spurs midfield. His pace, trickery and eye for goal would all be welcome additions to Mauricio Pochettino’s attacking forces.
He had a mixed first season, but his return of 11 goals and 5 assists was very good, especially given Newcastle were relegated. He showed that he was suited to the Premier League and he was one of the few players in the Magpies’ squad that came out of the season with credit. He even did well for the Dutch national team.
There will surely be doubts over the amount of playing time Wijnaldum gets at White Hart Lane, Spurs already have a set starting trio attacking midfielders with Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Dele Alli. That means the Newcastle player will have be content with a place on the bench.
The 25 year old will soon be hitting his peak years, therefore it might be a risk to move right now, given that he will most likely be appearing as a cover for someone in the trio of Eriksen, Lamela and Alli or in cup competition. However with Europe next season, Spurs will have to deal with fixture congestion which increases the need for acquiring good quality back up. For Wijnaldum, it will give him a chance to move from a Championship club to a Champions League club, a good improvement for a player of his age.
Whether or not Wijnaldum is being targeted as a starter or not, he would provide excellent competition and another level of quality to Tottenham’s attacking midfield options. If Pochettino can manage to get him at a bargain, he could prove to be a very good signing.
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