Recent reports claim that Tottenham Hotspur have taken a significant interest in Ajax starlet, Matthijs de Ligt. The 18-year-old has been prolific for the Dutch outfit this season and is expected to cost the North London side £50m.
de Ligt has appeared in 34 games for Ajax this season and on 21 August 2017 extended his contract till the summer of 2021. He is already a first-team regular in the Ajax backline and this probably has prodded on his obscene price tag.
Out of all the highly promising European talents, de Ligt is right on the top of the scouted shortlist. His progression from the youth ranks of Johan Cruijff Arena has been meteoric, to say the least.
de Ligt scored on his debut against Willem II from a corner kick and became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, behind Clarence Seedorf. He has racked up 50 senior team caps for the Dutch outfit and 5 for his country.
His progression has been aided with regular minutes against elite competition in European top-flight but how much of that will he receive at Tottenham? The Spurs are facing an uncomfortable patch with their veteran centre-back Toby Alderweireld.
The 29-year-old has barely seen the pitch for the past 3 months and is currently a backup option behind Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen. His injury history has not helped either with Pochettino, like any competent manager demanding the best out of his players on a consistent basis.
On the other hand, the partnership that has developed between Sanchez and Vertonghen is hard to break up as well.
The North London side are aiming to secure a top-four spot in the Premier League along with a strong finish in their FA Cup campaign.
They furthered the cause by beating Chelsea 1-3 at the Bridge last weekend. Pochettino’s men looked far more impressive than the troubled Chelsea side and were clinical enough to get the crucial three points and move 5 points clear of the hosts.
However, this result might not be good enough for Tottenham in the long run. They are a title contending side and will have to improve by leaps and bounds to overtake the English big guns like Manchester City and Manchester United.
Therefore signing quality talents and increasing the depth of the squad is mandatory in the next summer window. de Ligt could a valuable investment in the long run if the player agrees to sacrifice on his playing minutes.
