Schalke youngster Max Meyer has recently revealed that Tottenham Hotspur were very close to signing him in January but his club didn’t let that happen and the deal fell through at the last moment. The 21-year-old has his contract with German club till June and had also indicated earlier that he prefers the English Premier League after Bundesliga in an interview with Bild.
He had said, “If I left Schalke and was going to play football in any other league in Europe I would like to move to England… I know that there was interest and the club was asked, but Schalke immediately put a stop to it. So the matter was settled… When the time comes, we’ll come to a decision. But I feel good about Schalke…”
Liverpool were seemingly also interested in the attacking midfielder but Tottenham were really keen on bringing him to England. Now with the January transfer window coming up, the interest will surely be sparked once again and considering his contract situation, Schalke might have to sell the player if they want to get something from the deal. He seems unlikely to sign a new contract in Germany if another offer knocks on the door.
Meyer has made 5 appearances in Bundesliga this season and five times he has come off the bench. It seems he is not a first-team player anyway and if compared to the likes of Christian Pulisic, who is a regular at Dortmund at 18-years-old and features in the Champions League, it is only fair that he becomes ambitious.
However, Meyer’s lack of experience and physical prowess could be a major concern for him moving to Premier League just now. At 173 cm, the midfielder is not very tall and his defensive abilities are not very appreciative too. While he might be all confident in Bundesliga, which depends highly on counter attacking pace for scoring goals, English Premier League is much more physical in its approach.
A wrong move at an early age could push him to the sea of forgotten promising talents in the Premier League and reduce his career to a mid-table club starter. Schalke is a good platform for any youngster to get nourished before he gets giant strides to the bigger clubs in Europe and Meyer could spend another season or two before moving out.
We have seen similar players flourishing under Pochettino in Christian Eriksen, Dele Ali and Eric Dier and that’s one advantage of signing for the North Londoners. They rely a lot on younger players and Meyer could get his fair share of chances. But again, it would be a risky move.
