Why this 8-assist youngster could be a better option for Tottenham than £40m starlet

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with making a move for Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, who is valued at £40m. Despite finishing in the top-four for three consecutive seasons, Spurs are yet to win a trophy under Mauricio Pochettino, who signed a new deal with the club last month.

Pochettino will certainly be looking to bolster his squad in the summer in order to challenge for silverware next season. As mentioned earlier, Grealish in on Spurs’ radar but Tottenham will do well to sign Ajax’s Frenkie De Jong instead. And here’s why

The complete midfielder

Although Grealish is a talented player with a lot of flair and trickery, his defensive side of the game leaves a lot to be desired. Grealish has the tendency to move up the pitch frequently which leaves his side’s defence exposed. De Jong, on the other hand, can do it all in the midfield. In addition to being defensively strong, the 21-year-old is very efficient with his passing and dribbling.

De Jong completed more than 91% of his passes last season and averaged an impressive 2.5 dribblers per match. Although he failed to find the back of the net in Eredivisie last season, he did provide 8 assists in 22 league games. On the defensive front, he won an average of 1.7 tackles per match.

De Jong is yet to earn a senior cap for the Netherlands but he has represented the nation up to Under-21 level.

The magical Ajax and Tottenham connection

There is a very interesting connection between Ajax and Tottenham, with the Premier League outfit signing several players from the Dutch giants over the years.

The likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez all joined Spurs from Ajax. And importantly, all of the aforementioned players managed to make their mark at White Hart Lane. Sanchez was the latest to make the switch, having joined Tottenham from Ajax last summer.

Judging by the trend, De Jong could be another success story at Tottenham if they manage to sign him from Ajax. However, the Premier League club have to act quickly as La Liga champions Barcelona are also said to be interested in De Jong.