Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most consistent sides in England in the last couple of seasons but have absolutely nothing to show for. They have qualified for the Champions League next season which will allow them to lure some of the best players in Europe to the club this summer and one player now extensively linked with a move to London is Hakan Calhanoglu.
German news outfit Bild claim, that the Turkish international is now ready to quit Bayer Leverkusen in favour of a move to England or Italy this summer. English side Arsenal and Italian side Lazio are also interested in his services alongside the Spurs. So what will Calhanoglu add to the squad under Pochettino?
The 23-year old is one of the most exciting players in his country and at his age, has already made 26 senior appearances for Turkey, bagging eight international goals already in his career. He was out of action for the last four months of the previous season, thanks to a ban by FIFA which is linked to a contract breach during the early part of his career.
However, he managed to score seven goals and seven assists in just 22 appearances across all competitions last season. Capable of playing on the wing as well, Calhanoglu is an attacking midfielder who loves scoring goals. A playmaker of the highest order, the 23-year old is capable of dribbling past opponents or sitting back and finding path-breaking passes, all against some top oppositions.
His key pass ratio is astounding, his crossing: exemplary. He is an asset in dead ball situations and is a player who is destined for stardom in the future. He is not strong in the air but his technical ability on the ball makes him dangerous in the final third.
The Spurs have used Dele Alli extensively in this role while Christian Eriksen and Heung Min-Son have stuck to their place on the wings. Adding Calhanoglu will allow Pochettino to shift Alli into a wider role using the Turkish star in his favourable number 10 role.
He may yet stick with Son on the wing and Alli through the middle but the Bundesliga star needs exposure to settle into the first team quickly and Pochettino should look at using him in the first team next season.
At 23, he will only get better and might be available on the cheap. Pochettino might yet want a superstar in attack but Calhanoglu will solve a problem at the club that has been pulling them down for quite a while now.
