If Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is thinking of the club’s future (of course he is), then you’ve got to believe that he’ll be pondering what to do with his midfield.

It looks extremely likely that Mousa Dembele will depart North London as his contract is due to expire next summer.

It’s also believed that Pochettino has decided that defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama can leave the club with the Kenyan struggling to get back into the Spurs starting eleven.

French internationalist Moussa Sissoko is another middle-man that could leave within the next two transfer windows as the twenty-nine year old might want to find regular game time elsewhere.

If all three players leave Spurs, or even if two of them head for the exit door, then The Lilywhites will need to seek reinforcements to bolster the squad. After failing to sign any new recruits during the summer window it could be vital that they look for new faces to come in during January as they look to freshen up the squad and have them at their best as they look to secure anther top four finish.

One midfielder that could fit the bill is Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucouré.

The Hornets have been impressing this season and the Malian central midfielder has been an ever present so far this term as Watford have climbed to eighth place in the Premier League table.

The twenty-five year old doesn’t mind getting stuck in and winning challenges. On average so far this term, he’s won 2.2 tackles per league game and he’s also made 1.4 clearances per top flight fixture. Those stats are on par with what he was doing last season at Vicarage Road. He’s player that likes to be on the heels of opponents and winning the ball back for his team.

Abdoulaye isn’t just diligent with his disciplined defensive duties, the former Rennes man is also effective with the ball at his feet and coming forward with it too.

In the 2017-18 season, where Doucouré won Watford’s player of the year award, the midfielder managed to help his team’s cause with seven league goals.

So far in this current campaign, in eleven games, he’s produced four assists for Javi Gracia’s men. He is also impressing with his passing success rate, which is above 81% for the season.

After a superb performance from Doucouré against Wolves last month, Gracia was quick to praise his player:

“If there is the space Doucoure always play well. For me, he is an amazing player. He always helps his teammates, running a lot, playing well today with good passes and for me the midfielders, in my opinion, were very important if we wanted to get a good result.”

We know that Mauricio Pochettino likes consistent midfielders that can win back possession and recycle the ball back to creative attackers. Abdoulaye Doucouré certainly seems to fit the mould that would excite the Argentine coach,

If Tottenham Hotspur are indeed monitoring the Watford midfield star, then they might need to act quickly during the January transfer window with Liverpool and PSG reportedly keen on the former French under-21 internationalist.

He could be a strong midfielder that helps fill the void that will be left with upcoming departures at White Hart Lane.

Posted on November 4th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article