Why Suso to Tottenham sounds like a smashing move

According to claims from Italian outlet Tuttosport, as relayed by Milan News, Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a massive boost in their pursuit of Spanish winger Suso, with AC Milan exploring the possibility of parting ways with influential attacker during January transfer window. 

As per the report, the Rossoneri are in danger of falling foul of FFP regulations, and with Suso stalling over putting pen to paper on a new contract at the San Siro, Milan are seriously considering the Spaniard’s sale during the mid-season trading period. 

The 25-year-old 5-cap Spanish international has a release clause of €40 million in his current contract, which runs until the summer of 2022, but Milan are prepared to entertain offers less than that, given his current form. (h/t Tuttosport)

Suso was one of the standout performers for the Rossoneri in the previous campaign with an impressive tally of 7 goals and 10 assists in 35 appearances but he has so far failed to live up to the expectations this term. The Spaniard has started 8 games in the league without finding the net even once and Milan are apparently running out of patience. 

The 25-year-old rose through the youth system at Liverpool earlier in his career but his ill-fated stint at Anfield yielded only 21 appearances before the winger made his move to Milan in January 2015.

He has progressed by leaps and bounds since then and boasts of an impressive record of 23 goals and 36 assists in 144 appearances for the Rossoneri across all competitions.

Suso’s rise to prominence in Italy as a technically-gifted and versatile playmaker has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League clubs over the past twelve months, including Tottenham, who had been linked with Spaniard back in December. (h/t Calciomercato)

Spurs went on to make the headlines with a club-record deal for Tanguy Ndombele this summer following their march to the finals of the UEFA Champions League last season, whilst promising prospects like Ryan Sessegnon, Jack Clarke and Giovani Lo Celso were also roped in, with the latter joining on a season-long loan deal from Real Betis. 

The North Londoners were tipped to go shoulder-to-shoulder with Liverpool and Man City in the title race this term following a summer of heavy investment but a rather indifferent and uninspired start to the campaign has left the Lilywhites languishing down at 7th in the standings. 

Truth be told, Spurs have lacked any sort of inspiration in all departments and an extensive squad rebuild in January in the need of the hour, with question marks lingering over the futures of some of the first-team mainstays, including Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen, Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen. 

Besides the ignominious 7-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the Lilywhites have struggled badly against modest sides like Brighton and Watford in the Premier League, which are alarming signs that Mauricio Pochettino’s project in North London is on the verge of a premature collapse. 

To that end, Spurs should go back in the market for Suso in January, with AC Milan apparently keen to cash in on the star playmaker.

They have been linked with the 25-year-old in the past and bringing in a player of his calibre is bound to hand a massive boost and a much-needed air of freshness to an attacking unit that has looked quite listless and disjointed. 

The left-footed creative ace has the technical abilities, as well as the vision and the awareness, to run the show and improve Spurs’ overall gameplay in the final third. 

Besides his obvious sharpness and agility to cut inside from the flanks and link up the play with his teammates in and around the penalty area, Suso boasts of the tactical intelligence to outsmart the opposition with his clever movement off the ball, whilst also possessing a devastating eye for defence-splitting passes. 

Add to that his versatility to play anywhere across the forward line and it is not difficult to see why is he such a sought-after property in Europe at the moment. He might have struggled to make an impact this term but it is imperative to say that form is temporary while class is permanent and hardly ever evaporates. 

Verdict

With Eriksen nearing the end of his illustrious spell in North London and the likes of Dele Alli and Erik Lamela just not doing enough to chip in with significant goal contributions on a consistent basis, the arrival of a tricky playmaker like Suso would certainly hand a boost to Pochettino’s dynamics. 

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The Argentine tactician has been forced to rely on the same players for a long while and that has got to change at the earliest, with Spurs performing well below expectations this season. 

All in all, the Lilywhites are in dire need of some inspiration to save themselves from what could potentially be a horror season with far-reaching implications and signing Suso in January might just provide the spark that they have been crying out for so badly.