Next season is going to be one of the toughest as most of the top ten clubs of last term will invest big and due to TV rights, the likes of West Ham and Southampton can lure players away from European leagues. This has made life tougher for the clubs in the top bracket and with the arrival of super managers like Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola, the league is tougher than ever before. Adding the Champions League to the mix, Pochettino will face the toughest test of his managerial career.
Along with a striker, Spurs do need an attacker who can complement with the present squad and give the team an extra dimension in their attacks. Dele Alli has been exceptional and so has Christian Eriksen but the likes of Eric Lamela, Nacer Chadli and Heung Min Son have been decent but not at the level Spurs need to be in the next season. One name that has been linked in the papers for a deal in the summer is Lille’s latest star, Sofiane Boufal.
Boufal has just played his first full season in the top flight but has garnered interested from all top clubs around Europe. He was Lille’s best player last season and finished it with a whopping 12 goals and 4 assists. Lille were longing for a Eden Hazard replacement since years and what Dimitri Payet and Flaurin Thauvin couldn’t do, Boufal did in just more than a season and now is the centre of attraction for a host of clubs this summer.
His playing style is just as his idol Cristiano Ronaldo and has all the tools to succeed at the top level. He dwells well in tight spaces and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. This season, he has scored predominantly from playing on the left wing but can play on the right and behind the striker too. Boufal has beaten the likes of Ronaldo, Hazard and Neymar to top the most dribbles last season with 4.4 dribbles each game.
Boufal is a dazzling player with lightening feet who has rised from the second tier of French football to possibly in the Premier League in a space of one and a half seasons at Lille. He has that fighting spirit of thriving in tough conditions and is the perfect player who can take Spurs’ attack to a higher level. With his pace and skill combined with Alli’s determination and Kane’s finish, Spurs can achieve their targets this season. Though he has his weaknesses in accumulating unnecessary bookings and is slight in stature for the English game, he is the next big thing coming from Lille and can become Spurs’ answer to the likes of Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Philippe Coutinho and Alexis Sanchez.
