TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham spend £60m on Tyler Dibling?

The links between Tottenham and Tyler Dibling have been coming through since the winter window, and going into the offseason, this rumour has been growing louder and louder in recent weeks, and to me, the idea of spending £60 million on a 19-year-old from a relegated side might look excessive, but as I was thinking about it, I realised there’s more to unpack here than meets the eye. See, if Daniel Levy is trying to make a roster with a long-term understanding of his midfield and final-third restructurings, then the Southampton academy grade is not your wild casino punt – in fact, to me, he might be the statement signing that fits the blueprint of the project that the North Londoners have currently deployed at N17 under Ange Postecoglou.

But as you think about it and try making sense out of it, you realise that in Dibling, Tottenham can sign a high-ceiling tactical player who has the capacity to be developed into a system-driving starter within just a couple of seasons.

But let me start with the basics: who is Tyler Dibling, and why is he being valued at £60M?

Forget the pricing side of things for a second, and let’s start with the player – Dibling is a left-footed silky player that plays mostly on the wing flank and also has the capacity to feature as a tucked-in narrow midfielder in a midfield three. But the real reason he’s being hyped by the supporters and pundits is not his raw numbers but his positional intelligence and composure in tight lanes, which has seen him make some high attacking decisions in advanced pockets. And let’s be honest, these are things that do not come standard at 19 years old.

See, when I say he can operate more in a narrow midfield role as well, I mean he is not your typical traditional English winger; he’s closer to the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden in terms of profile, given how he fits into the kind of players who shift between the 8 and 10 roles and possess the understanding of shifting the tempo and have the potential to operate inside the structure without becoming more system-bound (in a sense).

So if Tottenham are to sign him, how does he fit at Hotspur Way under Postecoglou?

Given how Ange operates, he likes his front five to keep on rotating spaces without losing shape while exploiting half-spaces through positional cues. The Australian head coach likes to make transition-like situations with swift passes and fast movements, but he likes so while maintaining control.

Now when we look at Dibling and his attributes, they complement the above-described basis quite nicely, given how the teenager is highly press-resistant in zone 14 and is comfortable when it comes to rotating between right wing and central attacking mid (more narrow). He also has that ability to carry the ball 15–20 yards to break compact low and mid-blocks, and with his dribbling ability is how calm he is when pressed or forced into tight spaces.

With Dibling, he gives you a third-phase controller that has the capacity to operate on the inside and become a creative outlet who can find runners through the vertical channel.

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But then if you ask me, is £60 million justified?

On paper, no, but then football is not played on spreadsheets, and this one is about his age and whether he is ready to make an impact in the English top tier (for a big six side), complemented by a lack of highly tactical players who can operate in his position (there aren’t many press-resistant creators in the market under 21). Moreover, he is a positional fit across multiple roles and systems and brings that homegrown status.

See, given his age and potential, there is also a high future resale value. According to me, if Tottenham (and Levy) are looking to add a beat in a player who they can buy low and sell high, then Dibling is a £60M spend with a £90–100M ceiling in maybe three to four years if he is handled properly. So yes, if you ask me, Tottenham should buy him, but then Levy should try and negotiate that price a bit down. If the club chairman can end up closing this deal for £45–50M + bonuses, then it would be exactly the kind of transfer that Levy should be expected to make.