Tottenham Hotspur may have finally captured the signing of Tanguy Ndombele (club’s official website) this summer from Olympique de Lyonnais, however, that does not appear to have stopped other defensive midfielders being linked with a potential switch to the club.
According to a report by Calciomercato, it is believed Spurs are interested in signing AC Milan’s Franck Kessie this summer. The Ivorian could be made available for a transfer as the Serie A outfit look to sort out the financial mess they are currently in; they were recently booted out of European competition for breaching the dreaded Financial Fair Play regulations (BBC).
It is said the 22-year-old could be available for a fee of €35million (£31.3m), which, admittedly, is an attractive price for the midfielder, however, Spurs must seriously think about avoiding a deal for him.
Obviously, the arrival of Ndombele is one that will have got us out of our seats and jumping around for joy as it was believed he was Mauricio Pochettino’s main target this summer (Telegraph).
The France international midfielder will instantly help to strengthen and improve the defensive midfield position in the squad, as he averaged 1.9 tackles per game and 0.9 interceptions per match for Lyon in Ligue One last season (WhoScored).
On the face of things, comparing those stats to what Kessie can offer – an average of 1.2 tackles per game and 0.8 interceptions (WhoScored) – it would seem the Ivorian is inferior to him and would potentially have to settle with a place on the bench, which is also a reason as to why we need to avoid signing him this summer.
Spurs already have the likes of Harry Winks, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Oliver Skipp available to play in that position at the present moment, so adding another player that offers the same type of play would not necessarily be worthwhile.
Arguably, we have other areas of the field that need strengthening before we look to acquire another defensive midfielder and could cost significant amounts of money.
Surely, Ndombele’s arrival would end any potential move for Kessie. And, if it hasn’t, it should.