Tottenham should not hesitate to splash the cash on David Neres in January
According to reports from Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur have joined AS Roma in the race to sign Brazilian attacker David Neres in January.
The 21-year-old began his professional career with Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo, before joining Ajax in 2017. Since then, he has made a total of 48 appearances across all competitions, netting 17 times.
Ajax’s youth academy is reputed across Europe and there have been plenty of young talents who came through their ranks and made it to the big stage. Neres is not the only exciting talent in Ajax’s ranks right now, as his teammate Frenkie De Jong has already been linked with a host of Premier League clubs (h/t Daily Mail). Another product of the club’s youth system, Justin Kluivert, recently made his move to Serie A club AS Roma in the summer.
Mauricio Pochettino embarked on the current season without bolstering his squad in the summer transfer window. As a result, Spurs suffered some setbacks with defeats at the hands of Watford, Liverpool and Inter Milan, despite making a bright start to the term. Hence, the manager must reconsider his options in January.
Although Spurs have some good players in their first-team, the lack of squad depth should be a major cause of concern for Pochettino. Harry Kane has seemed a bit tired and fatigued after a good start to the season and the Lilywhites do not have much quality on the bench to rest the first-team players.
Lucas Moura has been the standout performer for Spurs in the forward line this season and the Brazilian has looked threatening with his pace and dribbling. However, Heung-min Son, who has returned to the Premier League after helping South Korea to a gold in the Asian Games, has looked a tad rusty and his performances haven’t been impressive.
Meanwhile, Erik Lamela claimed a consolation goal for the Lilywhites against Liverpool and followed it up with another goal against Brighton but he is yet to regain his golden touch after making a comeback from an injury.
To make matters worse, it is not only the forward line that needs some strengthening. In fact, Spurs need to sign a long-term successor for the ageing Mousa Dembele to add depth to the midfield.
And Pochettino could solve his problems to an extent by making a bid to sign Neres in January. The 21-year-old belongs to the trademark breed of South American footballers who have a Brazilian essence in their style of play. Just like most of his countrymen, he is blessed with an excellent technique which allows him to receive the ball with minimal errors and lets him run comfortably with the ball at his feet.
However, that is not his only strength. A fast and agile player defined by pace and athleticism, Neres often uses his mesmerizing dribbling skills to weave his way past the defenders through close spaces. He uses his agility and instant acceleration to make impressive turns and changes direction quickly to catch his markers flat-footed. In other words, he can manufacture something extraordinary by creating just that extra yard of space for himself to exploit.
Neres has a deadly left foot and is unafraid to take on defenders single-handedly with his dribbling skills. However, he cannot be termed selfish, by any means, and has the presence of mind to link the play with his teammates with clever one-twos and back-heels. Furthermore, he is also clinical with his finishing.
Although he is more comfortable playing in the right side of the pitch – which enables him to cut inside with his stronger left foot – he has shown the versatility to fit into a more central role behind the striker. He is also capable of using his vision to pick out the runs of his teammates with incisive through balls.
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To put things into perspective, Neres is the ideal man to add depth to Pochettino’s squad. Although the Brazilian’s current contract will keep him at Ajax till 2022, Spurs should not hesitate to splash the cash to sign the youngster in January.
