Tottenham Hotspur infamously failed to sign a single player in the summer transfer window and followed that with a similarly fruitless January. But they did sell Mousa Dembele to China in January as he had entered the final few months of his contract.
Dembele, who had joined Tottenham from Fulham in 2012, was hesitant to agree on a new deal with the club and Mauricio Pochettino took the right decision to cash in on him in January instead of losing him for free at the end of the season.
It’s important for Pochettino to sign Dembele’s replacement as well as strengthen his squad over the summer if Tottenham are to realistically challenge for the Premier League title next season. A lack of squad depth has come back to eventually haunt Spurs, who were apparently in the title race until the last month.
Damaging defeats at Burnley and Chelsea have knocked the stuffing out of Pochettino’s side, leaving them with winning the Champions League their only hope of silverware this season. But things have to change if Pochettino is aiming to win the Premier League and that starts with bringing in a replacement for the departed Dembele.
One player Tottenham should certainly look at is Sampdoria midfielder Karol Linetty.
A product of the Lech Poznan system, Karol Linetty joined Sampdoria in 2016 and has since shone in the Serie A. He has enjoyed another stellar campaign in the Serie A so far, bagging two goals and as many assists in 22 games for Sampdoria.
The Pole is more of an offensive-minded midfielder than a pure destroyer in the middle of the park. Karol Linetty is a top tackler and a clever operator with the ability to pick a pass and strike the ball with immense power from distance. He mixes his technical qualities with his tenacity and uncompromising work-rate to keep things ticking over for Sampdoria.
The 24-year-old is dangerous in the final third of the pitch due to his creativity and unpredictable movement off the ball. One of his biggest traits is his ability to time the late runs from middle into the box and score goals. Not to forget, the Poland international is also a tenacious player who doesn’t think before flying into challenges.
That’s why Linetty would be perfect for Tottenham as his stamina, work-rate and energy coupled with his vision and ability to come up with crucial goals will make him more than a like-for-like Dembele replacement. Hence, Spurs should go all out to land the diminutive Pole this summer.
