According to recent reports in Spain and England, as stated by Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur are set to battle it out with Real Madrid and Lazio in pursuit of Fenerbahce midfielder Eljif Elmas.
The same report has also revealed that Spurs are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Moussa Dembele, who is set to leave the club soon as he heads into the twilight years of his career, and Elmas fits the bill perfectly.
The rapid rise of Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp over the past few months under the expert stewardship of Mauricio Pochettino has helped the North Londoners cope with Dembele’s absence due to injury. However, the Tottenham boss still needs some fresh faces in midfield who can come in and add some much-needed depth to his squad.
Elmas grew up playing football in Turkey for Rabotnicki before finally making a big move to Fenerbahce in the summer of 2017. Since his switch to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, the 19-year-old has slowly established himself in the Turkish club’s first-team and has already put in some eye-catching displays for Ersun Yanal’s team during this campaign.
Elmas has featured in 25 matches for Fenerbahce this term and has one goal to his name across all competitions. He has also represented his nation, Macedonia five times in his young career so far and is destined to play a significant part for Macedonian football if he can fulfill his massive potential.
The addition of someone of Elmas’s talents would undoubtedly bolster Pochettino’s midfield options for the future, but there are still question marks over his ability to make an impact at Spurs right now. The Macedonian international is quite talented, but he still has a long way to go before he can be ready for regular first-team opportunities in the Premier League.
Hence, Pochettino should consider bringing him in if he is willing to dedicate the time to nurture him into a world-class talent in the coming years. Having said that, for now, Tottenham are better off going for a more immediate solution who can come in and help them win some silverware this season.
