TTLB Opinion: Why are Tottenham running behind Nico Gonzalez

Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to improve the quality of their roster when the summer transfer window comes around, and the Lilywhites have been linked with a move for Nicolas Gonzalez. The 27-year-old has been plying his trade for Juventus, where he is on loan from Fiorentina and can play along both flanks.

We have seen how the North Londoners have struggled to find solutions in a compact game state this season, and this has led Ange Postecoglou to look for solutions in the market instead, given how the Australian looks to add flair and creativity in the wide zones. And this is where the need for a new wide forward comes in, and the Lilywhites are looking to bring in a versatile player who can play certain roles in the current system.

Let’s look along Nicolas Gonzalez’ attributes

The Argentine is a left-footed forward who possesses that high intensity in everything he does. He is quite aggressive when it comes to pressing, and he combines it with intelligent movement and aerial threat despite playing on the flank. Given how the North Londoners play under Ange, he is a system-compatible wide player, especially given how the current squad lacks balance between flair and function on the flanks. Now he is not your headline-grabbing flair winger who will beat five men, but he’s tactically disciplined and does everything with intelligence.

Given his exceptional left foot, he can invert from the right and play in that outside-to-inside role, and he is a perfect match for Ange-ball high-pressing style, given how he reads passing lanes quite accurately.

Moreover, he is a high xG chance generator given how he likes to operate between the fullback and the marker centre-back, opening space.

How can you tactically fit the Argentine in the current system deployed at Tottenham?

Nicolas Gonzalez can play multiple roles under the current Ange Postecoglou setup, and he could fit like a mould in a lot of them given his traits and versatile profile. You could use him as an inverted right winger in a 4-3-3 where his presence helps to stretch the offensive lines, and he could combine with the likes of Maddison and Porro. Build as a 5th attacker out wide on the right, and he attacks the far post when the possession is in the wide left zones in a 2-3-5. He could also counterpress the front-line triggers where he takes along the responsibility of pressing his flank’s full-back or cuts passing lanes inside (depending on where the opposition overload is in their first phase). You can also deploy a back 3 (3-4-2-1) where the 27-year-old can be used in a left forward role if Son is unavailable.

He could be used with other players in the current system. Someone like Porro and his wide overlaps will allow Gonzalez to tuck inside and explore those narrow spaces where he is good. You can also interchange him and Maddison into half-spaces. And with someone like Bentancur and Bergvall, they could be pushed to push the ball into channel runs for the Fiorentina loanee.

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Author Opinion

Given how his profile is rare, Tottenham should be looking to move for Nicolas Gonzalez, given how this will bring a tactically sound right-sided inverted winger into the current roster who can complement Son and offer pressing balance to the likes of Kulusevski or Johnson. However, that being said, Daniel Levy will have to act quickly given the pushing interest from Juventus to sign him on a permanent transfer.