Tottenham supporters have been in fine voice in the Transfer Tavern this week, in stark contrast to those Everton fans stood at the bar.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men comfortably swept aside the Toffees 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday before backing that up with a fine Wembley victory over Borussia Dortmund, with a brace from Harry Kane and a Son Heung-min strike securing the points for Spurs.
That win over the Bundesliga outfit is likely to fill the Tottenham squad with much confidence heading into their home clash with Stoke City on Saturday, yet the defeat to Spurs last weekend will leave Toffees boss Ronald Koeman with much to think about ahead of their trip to Manchester United on Sunday.
Everton do have a Europa League clash with Atalanta to focus on before then though, hosting the Serie A side on Thursday, yet speculation has been building in recent days about a possible January move for Werder Bremen’s Thomas Delaney.
The 26-year-old only moved to the German club back in January of this year but has already proven his worth, bagging five goals in just 17 games for the side, one of which coming this season.
Yet Pochettino’s Tottenham are also reportedly in the race for the Denmark international, and here are THREE reasons why they must beat the Toffees to the midfielder in the New Year…
Strength in depth needed
The biggest criticism levelled at Tottenham in the past few years is that they haven’t got the squad to compete on both domestic and European fronts.
Yes, their best eleven is arguably one of the strongest in the Premier League, but take one or two players out of that due to injury or suspension, and they are left short.
And the midfield department is one of those, with Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama the main men in that area, while the likes of Eric Dier (if he’s not playing centre-back) and Harry Winks are back up if needed.
Delaney’s arrival would seriously bolster those ranks, meaning Pochettino would have options and competition for the central midfield placings, which can only be healthy for the manager and indeed the players in that position.
Slightly different midfield option
Mousa Dembele is arguably one of the most underrated central midfielders in the Premier League, while Victor Wanyama was magnificent for Spurs last term, leading to the two of them conjuring up one of the best central midfield partnerships in the league.
However, Delaney would give Tottenham something slightly different from the other two, and that’s the ability to score goals.
The 26-year-old scored four goals in just 13 games for Werder Bremen in the second half of last season and has already bagged this time round, as well as scoring four on international duty for Denmark in the recent fortnight’s break.
Granted, he has been playing slightly further forward, but he’s clearly got an eye for goal, and would give Pochettino something else to think about when selecting his central midfield duo.
Rotation vital to Spurs’ trophy hopes
Mousa Dembele has not played in excess of 30 Premier League games in any of his five full seasons at Tottenham, with niggling injuries regularly seeming to crop up at some stage over a campaign.
When he’s fully fit and firing, the Belgian international is arguably one of the first names on the teamsheet, but it feels like he is often a fitness doubt or not quite 100%, which must be of concern to Pochettino.
Fortunately, Eric Dier is a fine alternative, but having Delaney in the squad would make a huge difference, as Pochettino would be able to rotate his team around to deal with the many competitions, thus taking the load off Dembele and Wanyama.
Spurs should be competing for trophies, be it in the Premier League or domestic cup competitions, and having the option to rotate is vital – landing Delaney would aid Pochettino in making those decisions and keeping his options fresh for the entirety of the campaign.
