There’s just under a month until the summer transfer window slams shut this year, and while some clubs are fumbling around yet to make much of an impact, Tottenham Hotspur seem to know exactly what they’re doing.
Daniel Levy and Co signed the incredibly exciting Archie Gray for £30m at the start of this month and just completed the signing of South Korean youngster Yang Min-Hyeok, who’s set to join the team in January.
This determination to invest in youth is an exciting indicator of the club’s future ambitions, and based on recent reports, they’re targeting at least one more highly-rated teenager this summer, a prospect who could be the perfect long-term replacement for Son Heung-min.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham have maintained their interest in French wonderkid Desire Doue.
The report has revealed that the Lilywhites have been on the charm offensive in a bid to persuade him to come to North London, showing him the path he’d have to the first team, although due to the level of interest in his services, they have found it challenging to do so thus far.
No price is mentioned in the report, but stories from earlier this month claimed that the Stade Rennais gem would be available for around £42m.
It will be an expensive and challenging deal to get over the line, but given his quality and potential, Levy and Co should do what they can to bring him to N17 this summer, as he could be the ideal heir to Son.
Why Doue would be the ideal Son heir
So, the first thing to clear up here is that while Son is 32 years old and therefore has a limited amount of time at the top left, he’s still more than capable of leading this Spurs side, as he demonstrated last season.
In just 36 appearances, the Chuncheon-born winger scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, equating to a remarkable average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, and while he looks more than capable of doing something similar next season, father time catches up with us all.
For example, an article from The Athletic a few years ago looked at when players in different positions hit their peak, and according to that, a winger’s peak is around 26.
|
When players peak based on number of minutes played |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Age |
|
Goalkeeper |
28 |
|
Centre-Back |
27 |
|
Full-Back |
25 |
|
Central Midfielder |
25 |
|
Wide Attacker |
26 |
|
Central Attacking Midfielder |
26 |
|
Striker |
27 |
Now, while the former Bayer Leverkusen ace may well maintain his impressive form for another couple of years, it would make sense to bring in Doue as his long-term heir as, despite being just 19 years old, he already looked unreal.
For example, in 42 first-team appearances last season, 13 of which came on the left wing, the Angers-born “entertainer”, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored four goals and provided six assists, equating to an average of one every 4.2 games, which for someone so young is undeniably impressive.
Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Rennais prospect sits in the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive passes and successful take-ons per 90, indicating that the youngster has already mastered some elements of his position.
Ultimately, Doue is a young and relatively inexperienced player, while Son is still performing at a high level. However, the former looks to have all the ingredients to eventually take over from the latter on Spurs’ left-hand side, and therefore, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to convince him to move to the White side of North London this summer.
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