WeAreTottenhamTV presenter Simeon Daniel has given his verdict on the club’s links to Cody Gakpo.
ESPN has reported that Tottenham have been scouting the PSV Eindhoven man, suggesting that Antonio Conte wants to bring more attackers to the club in January.
Gakpo impressed at the World Cup with the Netherlands as he netted three times across five tournament matches before they were knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Daniel said that there is a ‘big question mark’ as he feels the player would want to be an ‘instant starter’ in the team, but with three attackers that could potentially start ahead of him in Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, it could be very tricky.
He stated: “I think if we’re looking for a potential long-term replacement for Sonny, he could maybe be someone we’re looking at. I really believe he can play [in] a central area and out wide as well. But the question is, whether [or not] he comes in, he’ll want to be an instant starter – will he definitely get that at Tottenham? That’s a big question mark.”
TIF Thoughts on Daniel’s Gakpo comments…
We believe that Gakpo would be an excellent addition to any top side in Europe, he’s been performing at an exceptional level for his nation and for PSV Eindhoven.
The 23-year-old has produced a whopping tally of 21 goal contributions in just 14 Eredivisie matches. To put that into perspective, it means he’s one of the deadliest finishers and assisters in all of Europe.
Indeed, when compared to other attacking midfielders at a similar level, Gakpo is in the top 1% for non-penalty goals scored and assists from the last year (FBref).
The only issue surrounding the Dutchman heading to the north London side would be where he fits into the starting XI. A player with those incredible stats is not going to want to be sitting on the bench.
Meanwhile, Kane has 12 league goals in 15 matches and Kulusevski has six goal contributions from nine Premier League outings. Son may only have three goals from 15 league appearances, but he’s a player who’s been a consistent goalscorer for Spurs in previous seasons. The South Korean scored 23 league goals last season and 17 in the campaign before that.
There’s no doubt Gakpo is a wanted man, and it could be that Spurs struggle to land his signature ahead of the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, who are also interested in the player. Therefore, we share the same fears that Gakpo may snub Tottenham for another club where he believes he’ll be a consistent starter.