Tottenham interested in £18m African ace from Ligue 1 – An investment that Mourinho should make?

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Why Tottenham should avoid signing Ibrahim Sangare

As per Get French Football News (h/t The Express), Tottenham are interested in signing Toulouse star Ibrahim Sangare ahead of the new campaign.

Ibrahim Sangare has impressed with Toulouse in the 2019/20 campaign (Getty Images)
Ibrahim Sangare has impressed with Toulouse in the 2019/20 campaign (Getty Images)

The report suggests that £18m would be enough to tempt the French outfit to sell their prized asset. It also claims that Everton and Newcastle have also shown interest in the midfielder. Sangare impressed in the 2019/20 campaign but couldn’t help his side stay in the French top flight as they were relegated when the season came to a premature end.

Profile

Born in Cote d’Ivoire, Sangare spent time at the academies of TP Koumassi and AS Denguele before joining Toulouse in the summer of 2016. Though he initially struggled for regular game time, he has managed to establish himself as a key figure in the squad in the last three campaigns.

Ibrahim Sangare has established himself as one of the key players for Toulouse (Image credit: Google)
Ibrahim Sangare has established himself as one of the key players for Toulouse (Image credit: Google)

He has made 84 appearances for the French outfit, racking up 2 goals and 5 assists to date. Since making his debut in July 2019 for Ivory Coast, he has been capped three times by his national side.

Sangare could be surplus to requirements of Tottenham

At the moment, Jose Mourinho has a plethora of midfield talents available at his disposal. English ace Eric Dier has been a regular member of the squad and has largely been used as a defensive midfielder during his stint with the club. He is also capable of operating in central defence and has improved since the restart.

Apart from him, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko are also available in the defensive midfield role. Both of them have done a decent job and look set to continue under the manager. The Lilywhites also signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earlier this month and the Danish international is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele, who has failed to live up to the expectations so far, is also capable of doing well in midfield.

Ibrahim Sangare (L) in action against Marseille (Getty Images)
Ibrahim Sangare (L) in action against Marseille (Getty Images)

Having said this, it would be wise by the club if they stop in their pursuit of Sangare. The Ivorian would be surplus to Tottenham’s requirements and would eventually end up on the bench. At this time, he needs to be playing regularly and with Tottenham, where there are plenty of options available, he would be wasting his time.

This would also make the club waste their resources as they already have enough options in midfield. The manager needs to get the best out of the available squad and instead, look to strengthen other key areas.

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Verdict

At 22, Sangare has shown immense potential but moving to Tottenham can hamper his progress. And the Lilywhites, who are already well-stocked in midfield, would not benefit from his presence. Thus, they should stop in their advances for the Ivorian and instead look to bolster other positions.