Lens midfielder Andy Diouf subject of interest from Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have strengthened their squad with the signings of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner. A striker and winger were desperately needed at the club to bolster the offensive department, and head coach Ange Postecoglou has managed to get both of those in the form of Solanke and Odobert.

Despite raising the ceiling of the squad with some additions over the summer transfer window, they are lacking depth in a couple of areas of the pitch. One of those is the midfield unit, especially after Oliver Skipp’s sale to Leicester City last week.

The exit of Skipp, who was a squad player at best in Big Ange’s first season in charge of the club, has opened the prospect of a midfield signing in the final week of the transfer window. Although Tottenham have the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, recent reports claim they are running the rule over a midfielder ahead of a potential swoop.

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According to a report from HITC (h/t Caught Offside), Tottenham scouted Lens midfielder Andy Diouf during the Ligue 1 club’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers against Panathinaikos last week. However, Spurs scouts weren’t the only ones present, with representatives from Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton and Aston Villa also understood to have been at the venue to watch the French youngster.

Andy Diouf has progressed well since joining Lens from FC Basel last summer. After finding it difficult to break into the Rennes side, he moved to Switzerland to build his career. The move worked out well for the France under-21 international as the switch to FC Basel gave him a “benchmark year”.

Diouf, who was a part of the Les Blues side that won the silver medal in the Paris Olympics earlier this summer, made 30 appearances across all competitions for Lens in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring a goal. The midfielder’s performances since returning to France haven’t gone unnoticed, with Spurs among the clubs keeping tabs on his progress.

A central midfielder by trade, the 21-year-old could be a good option to strengthen Tottenham’s midfield unit. Diouf’s age and profile align very well with the signings the North Londoners have made under Big Ange. Highly rated as one of the top midfield prospects in French football, he could be tempted to join Spurs if we table an offer in the final days of the transfer window.

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That being said, it will be intriguing to see whether our club tests Lens’ resolve with an audacious bid for Diouf as Postecoglou looks to have more options in his squad to rotate across the season.