Mauricio Pochettino has set his sights on one of Spurs’ past nemesis’ as his first potential summer signing.
Spurs were hampered with injuries towards the back end of last season in various key positions, none more so than in central midfield.
After the departure of Moussa Dembele in the January window, Harry Winks suffered a lengthy lay out with an injury, which meant Victor Wanyama had to form a partnership with Moussa Sissoko for some of Spurs’ biggest matches of the season.
Then, in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City, Sissoko suffered an injury which led to Pochettino playing the final hour of the match with only one recognised central midfielder in his side – a tactic which remarkably paid off.
But there is no doubt Spurs have a problem with the depth of their squad when it comes to the middle of the park.
As a result, The Guardian have reported they are interested in Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek, the man who scored when Spurs faced the Dutch champions in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
Van de Beek, 22, is just another of the young, promising talents emerging from Ajax’s flourishing set-up, who burst onto the European scene this season thanks to the team’s incredible Champions League run which saw them dismantle Real Madrid and Juventus in the process.
Despite his youthfulness, Van de Beek has been a regular in Ajax’s team for the past three seasons.
He has made 130 appearances for the first team since making the transition from the academy team and has scored 29 goals in the process, according to Who Scored.
For many, though, his impact this season has gone far beyond what many expected – with 16 goals and 12 assists in 51 appearances.
It may be a case of Pochettino seeing the Van de Beek signing as killing two birds with one stone, given Christian Eriksen’s future at the club is being questioned.
Aside from the fact that Spurs need to strengthen in midfield, the departure of Eriksen will leave them short of a traditionally number 10, someone who dictates the tempo of a game and sees a pass where very few others do.
Van de Beek is as much a creative, talented playmaker as he is a reliable central midfielder and therefore may be just the player Spurs are looking for to solve both the Eriksen and squad depth issues.