Spurs still chasing a star of tomorrow

Spurs still chasing a star of tomorrow

Spurs still chasing a star of tomorrow

It looks as if we might miss out on Frenchman Ousmane Dembele. The Stade Rennais midfielder who can operate anywhere behind a lone striker looks as if he may be on his way to Germany, where Borussia Dortmund are keen to sign him.

Dual footed, he has scored 12 goals in 23 Ligue 1 games this season, a goal every 142 minutes. The 18-year-old (19 in May) didn't make his debut until November which has echoes of harry Kane about it. Capped at youth levels by France he has been tracked by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and a host of top clubs across Europe.

Dortmund have taken his mother on a stadium tour, much the same as  we do with prospective purchases. It is common practice amongst clubs, after all, you want to know where you are playing, what the facilities are like, how you'll be treated and parents like to know their children, despite being grown adults, are in good hands.

Matthias Dersch of Ruhr Nachrichien, a Dortmund-based daily newspaper first published in 1949 and with a circulation of just over 100,000, suggests in his column that a deal has been agreed in principle between the player and club, with just the transfer fee to agree. Given that daft figures have been quoted previously for him, an agreement is not a foregone conclusion.

Primarily he is a quick wide man who cuts inside and shoots while possessing impressive close control skills. While his technique may be advanced his positional awareness and tactical awareness needs to improve, both areas Pochettino works on in training. He shows players where to position themselves and drives home the tactical side of the game so players can play intuitively. The Premier league is a fast league and he is best suited to a fast game at the moment.

He is one of the players Barcelona have listed as being the big stars of the next generation. It is another example of us going for the top young talent around the world and attempting to bring them to Tottenham to develop.