With more games to play in the coming season, Mauricio Pochettino will surely be looking to add some firepower to the squad to avoid fatigue. The team had a wonderful campaign, and the players will want to replicate the form going ahead and for this, some addition to the current squad is necessary.
Tottenham have been linked with many players, but the most surprising name is of the Ajax wonder kid, Riechedly Bazoer. The 19-year year old had a pretty good season in Eredivisie where he scored 5 goals in his 29 appearances and bagged 4 assists as well. Bazoer is a central midfielder and is an important part of the Ajax squad, targeted by Manchester City’s new manager Pep Guardiola and Tottenham’s boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The 19-year-old Dutch is not a new name for the Premier League as he was earlier linked with a move to Manchester City when he left his childhood club PSV to join Ajax in 2012. Bazoer is a strong and muscular built player and is capable of playing in various midfield positions.
Bazoer is a precious possession for Ajax without any doubt and is in contract with the club until 2020. Despite of late debut (November last year), he is already compared to Dutch legends Frank Rijkaard and Clarence Seedorf.
He is talented and is mature enough to drive the team forward and can be of great use in any squad. But talking specifically for Tottenham, I don’t think they should rush to sign the player. They already have Alli, Dier, Dembele, Mason, Chadli and Bentaleb for the position, and besides that, for their very first season in the Champions League under Pochettino, they cannot trust a 19-year-old player (no offence).
Bazoer is known for his intelligence and his in game techniques, and so are Dier and Dembele. We have seen at times that the Dutch players find it difficult to settle down in the premier league and therefore, Tottenham cannot take a risk in a season where they will be playing in the Champions League as well look to retain the top four spot in the premier league. Even if he joins the London club, he will remain under the shadows of Dier, Dembele and Alli.
It is reported that Tottenham is ready to spend £15.5m for the Dutch starlet, well, money is not the problem here, the problem is the first team opportunity which he might not get at Tottenham. Pochettino can surely give him a try in the domestic cup ties, but besides that, I feel his progress will hinder. Tottenham’s squad is still fresh and young and signing a 19-year-old is nothing but a gamble.