Lyon winger Rachid Ghezzal was one of the players considered by Everton during the summer, but the Premier League club were unable to sign him for various reasons. Ghezzal recently revealed that the morning to Goodison Park was not a major appeal to him especially considering that he was playing with former French champions Lyon. Now, Ghezzal’s future with the French club is under major doubt as he is reportedly stalling on a contract extension. The 24-year-old’s existing deal runs until the summer, thus making him eligible for opening pre-contract agreements with other clubs come January.
According to the reports from Get French Football News, Tottenham and Liverpool are reported to be the club’s monitoring the situation. The ability to sign a player, who has been one of the best in the team so far, on a free transfer sounds appealing. In nine Ligue 1 appearances this season, Ghezzal has come up with one goal and two assists. He is yet to score in the Champions League but he has provided one assist. The winger has been with the French club since 2012, and it is surprising that he has elected against extending his stay.
The chance to experience a new challenge seems to have been the overwhelming factor. Lyon are now in a difficult position with regard to the player, who came through the ranks. Since making his debut in the 2012-13 season, Rachid Ghezzal’s influence in the first team has steadily grown. Last season, he made 38 appearances in all competitions and scored 10 goals along with almost an equal number of assists. The club could retain him until the end of the season and lose him for nothing or receive around €5 million as a nominal transfer fee if he is sold in January.
As many of the summer signings are yet to make a profound impact, it is rumoured that Spurs will be prepared to sign the player for a lower transfer fee rather than wait until the summer. The decision to wait could also prove catastrophic with Liverpool lurking around the corner. Jurgen Klopp’s team have decided to go top of the table following a 6-1 win over Watford, but the German manager is thought to be concerned with the squad strength.
Tottenham have also reasons to be worried about squad strength; recent injuries to Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld showed that the squad may not have the strength in depth to challenge for the title. A couple of additions in January can certainly help the squad especially if they qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Playing in Europe certainly requires a large squad than Pochettino is used to working with. Champions League exertions have been blamed as a reason for Spurs’ poor performance in the last month.
