LEIPZIG, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 01: Alassane Plea of Borussia Monchengladbach celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Red Bull Arena on February 01, 2020 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Back in May, a report from German outlet Bild (h/t Metro) mentioned Tottenham among the potential suitors for Borussia Monchengladbach striker Alassane Plea. Premier League rivals Man United and Arsenal were also understood to be in the race to sign the 27-year-old, who was rated between €35-40million back then.
However, a move to English football never really materialised for the Frenchman, who eventually ended up staying put at Monchengladbach.
Alassane Plea started his footballing education at Ascq and joined the youth ranks of Wasquehal before being snapped up by Lyon in 2009. His prolific form for Lyon’s reserve side paved the way for a first-team breakthrough during the 2012-13 season. However, the versatile forward was loaned out to Auxerre in Ligue 2 in the following campaign after struggling to establish himself in a prominent role.
The 27-year-old gradually established himself as a quality attacker in the French top-flight following his move to OGC Nice in the summer of 2014. Plea went on to accumulate an impressive tally of 44 goals and 23 assists in 135 appearances for Nice across four seasons, racking up a career-best 21-goal haul in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign.
Plea enjoyed a stunning debut season at Borussia Monchengladbach, finishing as the club’s top-scorer with 15 goals in all competitions. He followed it up with 10 goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga in 2019-20 as Monchengladbach finished 4th and qualified for the Champions League.
The Frenchman has caught the eye with his performances in the Champions League this term. Having registered assists in 2-2 draws against Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Plea recently grabbed a hat-trick as Monchengladbach beat Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0.
Tottenham’s pursuit of a specialist understudy to Harry Kane came to an end with a season-long loan deal for Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius. The Brazilian is yet to make his debut in the Premier League and was hooked at half-time after failing to impress in the 1-0 defeat against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League.
Well, we haven’t seen enough of Vinicius to pass a definitive judgement on his credentials in English football. Tottenham do have the option to sign him permanently for €45m next summer but that would depend on whether he manages to break into Jose Mourinho’s plans in the coming months.
To that end, Tottenham should keep their options open in the market and reigniting interest in Alassane Plea would definitely be a smart idea. The Frenchman boasts an excellent track record of goals and assists in France and Germany, while he has also proven his mettle against elite-level opposition in the Champions League.
It is quite clear that Plea has a better profile and a lot more exposure at the highest level as compared to someone like Vinicius. The Brazilian has only one good season at Benfica under his belt, unlike Plea, who has been around the scene in the elite leagues for a longer duration.
Therefore, the Frenchman would be a more reliable back-up for Kane if Tottenham manage to bring him to North London in January. Moreover, he’s also capable of playing out wide on either flank and in a slightly withdrawn role as a supporting striker. Those qualities should make the 27-year-old a very handy squad player in the PL.
Alassane Plea still has several years remaining in his prime at 27 and looks more than ready to make the step up to English football. The Frenchman not only has a lot of experience under his belt but is also adept at scoring and creating goals. That said, Tottenham would be better off making a renewed attempt to sign him rather than completing a permanent transfer for Vinicius.