Keita Balde would be the ideal back-up for Harry Kane at Spurs

According to a previous report from the Sun, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino had expressed his interest in signing Senegalese forward Keita Balde.

The same report also suggests that Pochettino is a huge admirer of the 23-year-old since his early days at the Barcelona academy.

Keita was signed by Lazio back in 2011 but made his professional debut in 2013. However, he rose to prominence during the 2016/17 season where he registered 16 goals and 3 assists from 31 appearances in the Serie A. Following a successful season in the Serie A, Balde made his move to  Ligue 1 giants Monaco in 2017. He had a decent season in the French top-flight, scoring 8 goals and providing 5 assists.

The 23-year-old, who was a part of the Senegal squad that took part in the FIFA World Cup in Russia earlier in the year, joined Inter Milan on loan this season. However, things haven’t quite gone according to the script for Balde and he has struggled for playtime, making only 3 starts in the Serie A this season. He has largely been used as an understudy to Mauro Icardi and a striker of his calibre must not warm the benches for too long.

A fast, agile and fleet-footed striker, Balde’s primary attributes are his pace, dribbling and finishing. He backs himself to take on the defenders with his insane speed and has the ability to change directions in the blink of an eye. He was criticised for being a bit individualistic in his earlier years but he has shown in the recent seasons that he is a much more complete forward now.

While he likes to initiate counter-attacks with his blistering pace, he also has the intelligence and awareness to set up his teammates in the final third by releasing probing passes to square up the defence. He uses his instincts to get on the end of passes and crosses and has a deadly eye for goal from close range.

Keita averaged 2.3 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game back in the 2016/17 season with Lazio, which speaks volumes of his all-around ability as a centre-forward. Apart from that, he is a versatile attacker who is also capable of operating on either side of a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation.

To put things into perspective, Spurs need to add depth to their squad to enhance their chances of competing for the Premier League title.

As things stand, the Lilywhites have a lot of injuries to contend with for the upcoming games as Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama are all sidelined due to injuries. Pochettino wasn’t keen on bringing new faces in the summer transfer window but the long list of injuries should prompt the manager to bolster the squad in January.

Harry Kane has established himself as Spurs’ indispensable weapon in the final third for the last couple of seasons. Kane has been the go-to man for Spurs in each and every game and the Lilywhites might find themselves in a big hole if their talisman is sidelined with an injury in the latter stages of the season. Quite clearly, neither 33-year-old Fernando Llorente nor Vincent Janssen is competent enough to act as cover for Harry Kane.

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Hence, Keita Balde would be a valuable addition to the squad for Tottenham. His presence on the bench will not only reduce the burden on Kane’s shoulders but will also do a world of good to the team dynamics.