Away from their terrible form this season, there is something exciting happening at Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou might not be in the hot seat for much longer, but he has helped bring in some tremendously promising youngsters who could be the club’s future, like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Wilson Odobert.
It’s the first time in a long time that the North Londoners have had such an exciting crop of prospects, and so long as they keep developing, there is no telling how good they’ll be.
Moreover, Daniel Levy and Co appear to want to sign more up-and-coming stars, with reports linking the club with someone who’s previously won comparisons to Dele Alli.
Tottenham Transfer news
Alongside adding more young talent to the squad, Tottenham also seem keen to sign some first-team quality players, with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo on their list.
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The Cherries ace is supposedly available for around £43m, which might prove to be good value, as not only is he capable of playing in multiple positions, but has also racked up a tally of nine goals and six assists in 35 games this season.
Another star who’d be able to slot into the first team right away is Eberechi Eze, who remains a target for the North Londoners and would be gettable for £60m.
So far this season, the England international has scored six goals and provided 11 assists in 33 games for Crystal Palace.
However, the latest player to be touted for a move to N17 could be the most exciting and possesses the most potential of the lot: Jobe Bellingham.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs are one of several top sides keen on signing the Sunderland star this summer, alongside Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
The report does not mention how much the teenager might cost, but stories from last month revealed he could be available for around £20m.
It would be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Bellingham’s ability and sky-high potential, one well worth pursuing, especially as he’s been compared to Dele.
How Bellingham compares to Dele
So before we get into some of the other reasons why signing Bellingham would be a good idea, it’s worth examining this comparison to Dele and where it came from.
In this instance, it stems from former professional Adrian Clarke, who described the Englishman as possessing a “Dele Alli-style” in the way he plays, in that he often ghosts “in from that box-to-box role.”
Moreover, across his short career so far, the Sunderland gem has shown an impressive ability to play in several positions, like defensive, central and attacking midfield, and he’s even made a few appearances up top and out wide as well.
Likewise, while in North London, the former Spurs superstar could play almost anywhere on the pitch, from attacking midfield to second striker and, on occasion, as a deep-lying playmaker.
On top of their stylistic and positional similarities, the Black Cats’ “freak of nature,” as dubbed by teammate Dan Neil, would be another youngster with incredible potential moving from a lower league team to the Lilywhites, as the former MK Dons gem did back in 2015.
With all that said, and away from the comparisons, one of the reasons the North Londoners should look to sign the former Birmingham City prospect is that his underlying numbers are seriously impressive for someone so young.
According to FBref, the 19-year-old sits in the top 1% of midfielders in the Championship for long pass completion, the top 9% for passes blocked, the top 11% for goal-creating actions from take-ons and aerial duels won, the top 12% for ball recoveries and more, all per 90.
Long Pass Completion
79.9%
Top 1%
Passes Blocked
0.48
Top 8%
GCA from Take-Ons
0.03
Top 11%
Aerial Duels Won
1.85
Top 11%
Ball Recoveries
5.81
Top 12%
SCA from Shots
0.25
Top 14%
Clearances
2.53
Top 14%
Ultimately, while it might seem like a lot to spend on a teenager from the Championship, Bellingham would be worth it, and if he can make good on the comparisons to Dele, £20m will be a steal.
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