Tottenham Hotspur were heavily linked with Paulo Dybala this summer, but the move didn’t materialise. However, latest reports from the Daily Star suggests that Spurs will get a second bite at the cherry to capture the Argentine forward as Juventus would put him up on the market in January as well.
Mauricio Pochettino is known to be a big fan of his fellow countryman and Juventus want some transfer funds after their wage bills have ballooned after an expensive summer. Manchester United who were one of the contenders along with Tottenham are unlikely to join the race in January.
All this could spell good news for Pochettino if he is interested in getting the 25-year-old at the club. Dybala is yet to make any starts this season, and he has only appeared for 14 minutes off the bench. It seems clear that the Argentine will struggle to get game time with Juventus this season. Maurizio Sarri brought in Gonzalo Higuain, and the club already has top forwards in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic.
What should Pochettino keep in mind before signing him?
Dybala is known to be a bright prospect, but he hasn’t managed to kick on with his career in the last one or two seasons. There is no doubt that he would be an exciting signing to have, but we aren’t sure how he could fit into Pochettino’s plans.
The club already has secondary strikers like Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura who can play in a central role alongside Harry Kane. Dybala as a lone striker doesn’t make a lot of sense, and even in that case, the likes of Moura and Son might be the preferred option. Even someone like Dele Alli can claim that spot. Therefore the Argentine might be initially used as a backup option even at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Another role where Pochettino might want to use him is as a replacement for Christian Eriksen whose future remains uncertain. But again we don’t see Dybala doing the job of an outright creator which the Danish playmaker does at the club.
To fit in Dybala, Pochettino might have to change his system to accomodate and utilise so many attacking talents. With the physical nature of the Premier League, one cannot see him compromising on central midfielders to accomodate too many attacking options. The 25-year-old will be a promising and marquee signing, but if the manager cannot find a system to accomodate him, then Spurs could end up wasting millions on him.
