Is Weigl Pochettino's main central-midfield target?

Does Weigl solve a problem Pochettino has at Spurs?

Is Weigl Pochettino's main central-midfield target?

The latest ITK suggests as one of our central midfield replacements we are looking at a player in Germany. The German market, to me, is narrowed down into two players.

First is 21-year-old (22 next February) Argentinian U-20 international defensive midfielder Santiago Ascacíbar, who plays for VfB Stuttgart and is under contract until 2022. Transfermarkt valuation: £13.5 million (€15.42m).

Second is 22-year-old (23 in September) German international midfielder Julian Weigl, who plays for Borussia Dprtmund and is under contract until 2021. Transfermarkt valuation: £27 million (€30.85m).

The Daily Mail suggest Manchester City are preparing a bid of £40 million (€45.7m) for Weigl, a player who has developed into one of the very best central defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga. My guess is that it is him we are targeting this summer.

Bundesliga.com report that Real Madrid superstar and fellow German midfielder Toni Kroos has tipped Weigl to become "a world-class player". They say given the way the mature-beyond-his-years midfielder has progressed with giant strides so far, there is little to suggest the former Bayern Munich man will not be proven right.

He was named 1860 Munich captain at the age of 18, which suggests he has the right mental approach and his progression also suggests the same, vital in top-level sport and just the type of player Spurs need.

Dortmund signed him in 2015 with Sporting Director Michael Zorc saying at the time; "Weigl is one for the future for central midfield, and in whose enormous potential for development we believe".

He got his chance in a strong midfield and took it with such aplomb that he made 25 starts in 30 appearances in his first season, finishing with the best pass completion rate by a Borussia Dortmund player, 92%, and one of the best in the Bundesliga.

The appointment of Peter Stöger as Dortmund coach has seen Weiglgiven the role linking defence with the attack, the role Mousa Dembele performs for us. Dortmund play a 4-1-4-1 formation so his role in front of the defence is clearly a responsible one.

He is very composed on the ball, used to a high pressing game, an excellent passer of the ball, a playmaker from the back. It is this aspect of his game that I think is crucial to us. Dembele isn't a consistent picker of passes from the back and Wanyama isn't either.

Weigl would possibly solve that problem and it for that reason that I think he is one of Pochettino's main targets this summer.

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