Tottenham Hotspur, under Mauricio Pochettino, has not only flourished as an admirable Premier League force but also excelled as a top European outfit who defeated champions Real Madrid and knocked out German giants Borussia Dortmund of the Champions League group stage encounters. They have also drawn away at Juventus and are now holding the advantage of entering into the quarter-final prior to midweek’s return leg tie at Wembley. Spurs have configured a strong squad with a quality bench under the young Argentine who is rapidly approaching towards winning a silverware with the North London giants.
They, however, might lose Victor Wanyama, one of their key midfield resources, in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Kenyan is being monitored by Manchester United and the likely departure of Marouane Fellaini alongside Michael Carrick ( who is set to retire and join United’s coaching ranks) will allow Jose Mourinho to pursue Wanyama in order to reconstruct the midfield.
Spurs have always been shrewd in the transfer market and managed to acquire resources who fit the bill and belong to their style of football. Here are three such names who might be considered as Wanyama’s replacement if the defensive medio decides to ply his trade to the Theatre of Dreams.
Jean-Michael Seri
Country: Ivory Coast
Age: 26
Current Club: OGC Nice
The Ivorian was in the news last summer amid interest from several European outfits following his sensational display for OGC Nice in Ligue 1. He, however, opted to stay with the French outfit this term but not likely to continue beyond the upcoming summer window. Seri, previously linked with Barcelona, is available for a fee of around £35 mil and his playing style suits perfectly in Pochettino’s system. He is a strong passer of the ball who often tests the keeper with long-range efforts and loves to feature as a deep-lying playmaker with more work rate than many. He screens his defence and plays box-to-box to combine in the attack as well. He will be a perfect fit in Pochettino’s plans and the North Londoners must explore this opportunity if Wanyama departs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFWTYEC1pFg
Wilfred Ndidi
Country: Nigeria
Age: 21
Current Club: Leicester City
The young Nigerian will be more of a like-for-like replacement of Wanyama due to their similar style of football in the middle of the park. Leicester City, the 2015-16 Premier League champions, lost N’Golo Kante to Chelsea but brought in Ndidi who has shined exquisitely for the Foxes since his arrival from Genk. He is a strong tackler of the ball who holds aerial supremacy along with great work rate. Ndidi has been linked to Liverpool too but the Merseysiders are unlikely to meet Leicester’s £54m asking fee and set their sights on other preferred transfer targets. Although the market is highly inflated, investing the amount on a 21-year-old youngster with Premier League experience will still be an excellent piece of business due to the quality he is set to offer in a defensive midfield role.
Marcelo Brozovic
Country: Croatia
Age: 25
Current Club: Inter Milan
The versatile Croatian is capable of featuring in multiple midfield roles, however, prefers to operate the game from the centre of the midfield. Brozovic is currently having his fourth season for the Serie A giants Inter Milan but is thriving to get more first-team opportunities following only 10 league starts so far this campaign. He might be sold for a fee of around £25m and his ability to play anywhere in midfield adds more value to his name. He has strong passing skills, set-piece traits along with great holding ability that will make Spurs unbeatable in midfield when he is lined up alongside Mousa Dembele.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYY9nUp4OQ
