The lack of silverware in his tenure in London will see Mauricio Pochettino under some pressure, going into the 2018-19 campaign. The progress he has made with the squad at White Hart Lane is undeniable but Spurs have nothing to show for it, till date and need to start winning trophies, to establish themselves as a real superpower in England.
So Pochettino is busy trying to add players who can improve the quality and depth in his squad and one player he is now desperate to land is Alassane Plea.
Born and brought up in Lille, the 25-year old started his senior career with Lyon back in 2012 and spent just two years at the club, before being sold to Nice, another Ligue 1 outfit, in 2014. He scored three goals in 35 appearances across all competitions in his first season at Allianz Riviera but only announced himself as a star in the season before the last, where he scored 14 goals in just 32 games in all competitions.
He stepped up his game last season, registering 21 goals and six assists, showing great progress in his game. A natural finisher, who loves to have the ball at his feet, Plea is versatile and can play on the left wing as well, but is at his best, playing on the shoulder of the final defender.
He is strong and technically gifted, has mastered the art of hold up play and is adept at dribbling away from tight corners, to make space for himself and test the goalkeeper. At just 25, he has also shown great maturity at the highest stage in France and will be a decent coup for Spurs.
He is yet to break into the French national side but has already attracted interest from the likes of Newcastle United, who have offered £20m for his services. However, Nice are reportedly set to hold out for a price close to £27m and it is now understood that Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race for his signature.
Pochettino’s side can offer Plea Champions League football next season, but only see him as a backup to Harry Kane. The Argentine manager spent on Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente in the last two summers to support Kane but neither has shown enough promise, pushing the manager into the transfer market yet again this summer.
Read More: Tottenham Hotspur Vying For A Loan Move For Barcelona Defensive Beast: Right Man For Pochettino?
At £27m, the Nice man is an absolute steal but Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United can offer more game time than Spurs can. So it will be interesting to see how this story pans out in the upcoming days this summer. Do you think Spurs should go all in for Plea?
