As Spurs find themselves holding ninth place in the Premier League table, following a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, their start to the season has been neither impressive nor disappointing.Indeed, former Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino came in during the summer and although there are signs of his progressive, high-pressing philosophy being successfully implemented at White Hart Lane, his Tottenham side are still very much a work in progress.The style and attitude of player available to him appears to be the biggest stumbling block; the Saints were a hard-working, earnest bunch, but the Lilywhites have a couple more Prima-donnas in their ranks.In terms of squad dynamics, some assembly is still required. In other words, the Argentine needs to make signings that with transform Tottenham into a definitive, bona fide ‘Pochettino team’. Here’s FIVE he should strongly consider.
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WILFRIED BONY
Mauricio Pochettino clearly favours big-n-burley, old-fashioned centre-forwards. His strike-force at Southampton consisted of Rickie Lambert and Dani Osvaldo whilst, since moving to White Hart Lane this summer, he’s preferred Togolese lankster Emanuel Adebayor to Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane.
And fitting the classic No.9 mould perfectly is Swansea star Wilfried Bony, who bagged 16 goals and four assists in his debut Premier League campaign last season. Check out his highlights below:
//www.youtube.com/embed/L_zt5akDKGs
Measuring in at a stocky 6 foot, the Ivory Coast international comes with a powerful, imposing physique. And as viewable below, in terms of aerial dominance and hold-up play, the Ivory Coast international far exceeded Spurs’ forward cast last season:
The 25 year-old’s rediscovered his scoring touch in recent weeks after struggling for form at the start of the season with two goals in his last two appearances – including this strike against Newcastle:
His £19million release clause should be within Tottenham’s financial reach too, but Swansea are planning to offer their talismanic striker a new contract:
SAIDO BERAHINO
Another striking option comes in the form of West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino, already mooted as a Lilywhites target for the January window:
At just 5 foot 11, the 21 year-old hardly fits the old-school-No.9 stereotype previously discussed in regards to Swansea’s Wilfried Bony.
But much like the home-grown contingent that Maurico Pochettino had playing so excellently at Southampton, the England U21 is tricky, hard-working and absolutely lethal on the counter-attack.
Berahino’s been enjoying some incredible form this season too – six goals in eight outings makes him the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League, and the joint-third top scorer, only behind Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero. That includes this goal in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United yesterday evening:
The Burundi-born striker already looks like a fantastic talent and his ability to press from the front will certainly strike a chord with the Tottenham gaffer. But if West Bromwich Albion are to surrender him in January, they’ll expect a huge fee:
JAY RODRIGUEZ
There’s something almost macabre about Mauricio Pochettino trying to bring his progressive, high-pressing philosophy from Southampton to White Hart Lane without signing a single player from his former club.
Spurs were priced out of signing the likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren during the summer, but one Saint potentially still available to them comes in the form of Jay Rodriguez, who was allegedly subject to a £15million offer from the north Londoners on summer deadline day:
The left-forward slot in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 formation is a real problem for the Lilywhites – Nacer Chadli’s performed incredibly in that role to net four times already this season, but he’s clearly not considered a long-term solution and currently has no viable understudy.
Rodriguez would remedy the situation in abundance; as Southampton’s left attacking prong, he netted 15 times last season -the third-best return of any Englishman in the Premier League. Here’s his highlights:
//www.youtube.com/embed/e3adfleiWiE?rel=0
And a breakdown of the 25 year-old’s goals, demonstrating his ability to put away a variety of chances:
The St. Mary’s outfit publicly issued a hands-off warning in regards to the England international during the summer, as he recovered from an ACL injury that saw him miss the World Cup.
But with Southampton now excelling in his absence -especially going forward – as they sit at third in the table, they may have changed their tune completely by January.
YEVHEN KONOPLYANKA
Mauricio Pochettino also appears to be in the market for a more conventional winger, with Ukrainian international Yevhen Konoplyanka his priority target:
The 25 year-old has continually been linked with a move to the Premier League over the last 18 months, emerging as a target for Liverpool last January as well as West Ham during the summer. You might also remember him for this stunning goal against England back in 2012:
//www.youtube.com/embed/GB0wDwgI39c?rel=0
He currently plies his trade with Dnipro, boasting a return of 39 goals in 180 appearances for the Ukrainian side, including two in ten this season. But with his contract coming to an end in the summer, it seems likely Dnipro will sell in January.
Here’s another look at Konoplyanka in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/zBSGaakkUsc?rel=0
FABIAN DELPH
Ryan Mason’s recent inclusion in the Spurs starting XI, after spending five years out on loan, speaks volumes about Mauricio Pochettino’s concerns in central midfield.
It also suggests that in comparison to the more passive, conservative styles of Benjamin Stambouli, Etienne Capoue, Paulinho and even Moussa Dembele, the Tottenham boss wants a more dynamic midfielder – someone prepared to put in the leg work and press from the front.
Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph offers an interesting solution. He comes with that box-to-box dynamism, perhaps epitomised best by this stunning goal against Chelsea last season:
//www.youtube.com/embed/IYDwIn6PT1M?rel=0
He’s a fantastically hard worker too – just take a look at his heat map against Manchester City from last September:
Resultantly, the 24 year-old’s stock has soured over the last twelve months. He bagged the Supporters’ Player of the Year award at Villa Park last term and earned his first call-up to the England squad in August, since claiming three caps.
Most appealingly, Delph’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which has already generated quite a bit of interest throughout the Premier League:
That could see him leave on the cheap in January, but the Villains have recently offered him a new deal: