Tottenham are keeping tabs on 21-year-old Olympique Lyon forward Maxwel Cornet, according to reports. The French U-21 International has a release clause of £7m and can arrive in the Premier League side on a bargain.
Cornet has so far appeared in 15 matches for the Ligue 1 side and has registered 2 goals and 3 assists to his name this season. He is growing into the first team with his blistering pace and versatility in the attacking line-up. On the 5th of April this year, Cornet declared himself to the Ivory Coast national team and has racked up 5 caps already after making his debut in a 5-0 loss to the Netherlands.
Cornet is a product of the Ligue 2 club, Metz and signed with Lyon on 16th January 2015. His first goal for the side ironically came against his former club just over a week later. The Bregbo-born striker has appeared in 116 games for Les Gones and has netted the ball 24 times.
Tottenham fans are fearful of buying another prospect from France, after the struggles of Clinton NJie and Georges Kevin N’Koudou recently. NJie had to be sold after just one year at the club and N’Koudou is yet to make a considerable impact for the Spurs. Cornet is still young and has a lot to prove even in Lyon.
Tottenham swooped in on ex-Swansea City striker, Fernando Llorente in the summer to take up the second-striker role behind Harry Kane. But the 32-year-old has not found his feet at the club with just 1 goal in 18 appearances for the club this season. Kane has resumed his show of class in front of goal this season with 18 goals already and hungry for more. However, a second striker with an effective conversion rate is highly necessary to guide Mauricio Pochettino’s men to a successful end to the season.
Tottenham have surpassed their own expectations in the European competitions and has finished above Real Madrid in the group stages. Their impressive display, however, came at a cost with the side dropping precious points in the Premier League. The task of rotating a squad to compete in multiple competitions has been hard for Pochettino with a lack of quality options on the bench.
Cornet can play that exact role for the Spurs in the second half of their campaign. He provides a lot of possibilities in the attacking line-up with his pace and technical abilities. He too can follow in the footsteps of Anthony Martial and hit the ground running upon arrival against elite teams in the Premier League.
