Bid incoming: Spurs could form new Dele & Eriksen with £22m transfer

Bid incoming: Spurs could form new Dele & Eriksen with £22m transfer

Since becoming a Tottenham Hotspur player last summer, James Maddison has made a relatively impressive start.

The number ten’s statistics further support that point, as he currently boasts an output of four goals and seven assists in 22 Premier League matches.

However, in recent weeks, his performances have unfortunately taken a slight hit, failing to register a goal contribution in his last five games.

With that in mind and the midfield developing into an issue, Ange Postecoglou wants to acquire a new midfielder who has the potential to bolster Maddison.

Spurs’ search for a new midfielder

According to reports from Turkey via TEAMtalk, Spurs are lining up a £17m bid for Sebastian Szymanski.

The Polish midfielder currently plays for Fenerbahce, having previously thrived in Russia and the Netherlands for Dynamo Moscow and Feyenoord.

Tottenham have been keeping an eye on the 24-year-old for some time now, and the report states that they’ve already made contact over a deal.

However, the Turkish giant will demand around £22m this summer, and Spurs will have to be prepared to battle the likes of Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen for his signature.

How Szymanski could bolster Maddison

Szymanski isn’t a name that many of the Spurs faithful will have heard of before, but the Turkish Super Lig star has certainly been making waves in Europe.

The number 53 is a left-footed attacking midfielder who also has the ability to play slightly deeper as a box-to-box number eight.

The Poland international has been at the epicentre of Fenerbahce’s title challenge, playing 31 league matches for a side that’s lost just once this season in the Turkish top flight.

His statistics really do speak for themselves, as he’s scored and assisted nine goals apiece in the league this season, which proves he’s able to put the ball in the back of the net as well as create.

Szymanski’s Super Lig 23/24 Stats

Stats

Szymanski

Goals

9

Assists

9

Big chances created

14

Shots (per game)

2.4

Key passes (per game)

1.9

Touches (per game)

39.6

Tackles (per game)

2.2

Duels won (per game)

3.9

Via Sofascore

The table demonstrates how extremely well-rounded the player is, which means he could easily operate alongside Maddison in a 4-3-3 setup in front of a defensive midfielder.

Szymanski is the type of player who is desperate to make things happen, even shooting freely if the chance presents itself. This could add another dimension to the Spurs attack, with the profile of a box-crashing midfielder missing in the squad.

Unlike Madison, who loves to always be involved in the play and get on the ball at any opportunity, Szymanski likes to stretch the pitch via excellent movement, often popping up in dangerous spaces in between the lines.

The combination of Maddison’s creativity and the former Feyenoord ace’s movement could be a deadly combination, potentially even becoming a new version of the Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli partnership.

Both Dele and Eriksen were capable of playing superbly well between the lines with the former contributing to 67 goals and 59 assists in a Lilywhites shirt. The latter, meanwhile, was the scorer of 69 goals at Spurs, registering a further 90 assists. Fine work indeed from two of the finest midfielders to don a Tottenham jersey.

It’s not only in the final third that the “superb” Szymanski – as dubbed by football scout Jacek Kulig – brings to the table, as he has an endless amount of energy.

This enables him to press with ease while also helping the side prevent counterattacks, with his 2.2 tackles and 3.9 duels won supporting this.

In truth, almost all the creative responsibility tends to fall on the shoulders of Maddison, and signing Szymanski could just take the pressure off the number ten, from both a performance and mentality perspective.

For £22m, the midfielder seems like an absolute bargain, and Spurs must do all they can to beat the competition to his signature. Wouldn’t it be quite the sight to see another version of Dele and Eriksen in north London?