Tottenham Hotspur were one of the many clubs that were alerted to the recent reports of Argentine star Lucas Alario being ready for a move this summer. Currently playing for River Plate, the 24-year old believes that he is ready for the next step in his career and that Mauricio Pochettino is ready to give him an opportunity at the White Hart Lane next season.
But who is Alario? What has Pochettino seen in him? Here is a compressed version of his scout report and how he might fit in with Spurs:
Born and brought up in Tostado, Argentina, Alario started his youth career with Colon and moved to River Plate in 2015. After struggling to get into the first team in his first season at the club, Alario has now turned into their first choice centre-forward and has been in exceptional form of late.
He was not a part of the junior levels for his national team but has already been capped for a couple of games in the senior squad, giving him some much-needed experience.
A strong finisher with an exceptional eye for goal, Alario is a target man in every sense of the word. Though not exceptionally strong, Alario loves to have the ball at his feet and hold it up for runners beyond him to make himself some space.
He is not the smartest when it comes to spatial awareness but at 24, he will get better with time and is a risk worth taking for Pochettino. He puts in the hard yards, runs the lines, and is a nightmare for defenders and the Argentine connection could also come in handy at the White Hart Lane.
With seven goals and two assists in just 17 appearances for his side this season, Alario has been important to the plans there but Pochettino will want him to act as an understudy to Harry Kane next season. Summer-buy Vincent Janssen is yet to settle into the challenges of the Premier League and he may not be enough for Spurs to compete on all four fronts.
Pochettino is sure to spend on a striker but it is hard to see him spend big on a star name to play him alongside Kane. So they will need a player who is up for the learning process and can help them in the long term.
Alario, at the moment, is one of the best options this summer in that role for the Spurs. He will take time to settle into the new club and so this might be the perfect time for Spurs to spend on him this summer to get the best out of him in years to come.
