It has been a surprising season for Spurs. They owe their performance not only to the manager but also to the bunch of players they have in the squad. The balance and hunger that the young players have shown so far throughout this season has sprung them up to a 2nd position and probable title winners. Players who were deemed failures under past management regimes have risen to become crucial members of the current squad. So crucial that they bench £22million signing, Son on a regular basis. Yes, I am talking about Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli.
Lamela was almost sold to Marseille on deadline day only for Pochettino to pull the plug on the deal in the last minute and that was mostly down due to the fact that Spurs failed to sign an attacking option themselves. Well, he must be thanking his stars that he didnt pull the trigger on that transfer. Lamela has been a revelation this season and has really grown in stature. He has become an irreplaceable member in the XI. A tireless worker, he contributes defensively and is also an important outlet for creating chances. Scoring crucial goals and sometimes setting up chances in the dying moments of the game, Lamela has proven why he was purchased for £25.8m, a record signing who was heading towards the exit door has managed to completely turn things around, not only in his career but also has helped Spurs lift themselves up and his contributions haven’t gone unnoticed as Spurs sit comfortably in the top two spot.
The thing about his partner on the other wing is that, they haven’t been constant. Pochettino has used Eriksen, Chadli and Son in the role in various games but other than Chadli, neither prefer playing out wide. Son and Eriksen prefer more central roles, while Son prefers to be more of the main target man, with Kane in the side, he has had to settle for the wide roles on most occasions. Spurs have enjoyed great success with Chadli and Eriksen in the role. Both players have scored and created from un-favoured positions. Having a combined goal tally in the double figures, with just not outright wingers, would Pochettino benefit from signing of an outright winger?
The answer is quite complex. Whoever is signed, Spurs will have to make sure that they don’t affect the team balance. Right now, the squad is very closely knit and one wrong signing could tilt the team in the negative direction, exactly what Pochettino would not want. If I were Pochettino, I would not sign a winger and look at more central players, mostly because his system features the wing backs providing the width more than the wingers. With 4 able players already competing for the 2 available positions, Spurs are well stocked in the wide areas and another winger in the summer is surplus to requirements!
