Why Tottenham Hotspur must revive their interest in Amadou Diawara

According to a report by Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur’s €40million bid for Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara was blocked by Napoli’s new manager, Carlo Ancelotti. 

Tottenham’s three-match winning streak was ended by the 2-1 defeat that came at the hands of Watford last weekend. Although Spurs were not outrightly poor against the Hornets, the defeat should raise a few questions about the club’s squad depth.

While Spurs continue to struggle with injuries to some of their key reserve players, the other alternatives in their ranks are not quite up to the mark to challenge the big guns in the Premier League. Embarking on the new campaign with his current set of players is truly commendable but the loss against Watford should encourage him to change his plans.

Thus, Spurs must bring in new players to bolster the squad in January and to that end, Amadou Diawara could be the perfect addition to their midfield. Although Spurs had their earlier bid rejected, Pochettino should attempt to lure the player to London and secure the midfielder’s signature.

A central midfielder by trade, Diawara is often deployed in a more defensive role at Napoli. His technique is top-notch, which allows him to receive the ball effectively and run comfortably with the ball at his feet. His first touch rarely lets him down and the 21-year-old is also adept at cutting out attacks from the depth of the midfield. Occasionally, he has also been deployed as a sweeper for the back four.

His versatility, along with a good range of passing, allows him to excel as a deep-lying playmaker as well. While he can keep the ball moving in the midfield with elegant flicks and touches, Diawara also has the vision to find his teammates up front with precise chip passes.

The 21-year-old has the perfect blend of attack and defence and he could be a key man for Spurs in central midfield, provided the Lilywhites manage to land the man from Guinea. He has shown composure that belies his age and he seldom mistimes his tackles in the centre of the park. Also, the fact that he makes key interceptions in the midfield should make him a solid counter-attacking threat.

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Moussa Dembele hasn’t been particularly good in the ongoing season so far and Victor Wanyama has slipped down the pecking order due to several injuries. To put things into perspective, signing Diawara could do a world of good for Tottenham and Pochettino should go all out to sign him in January.