Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for a new wide forward this summer window, and the North Londoners have been linked with a move for Dorgeles Nene, the 22-year-old estimated to cost around €20-25 million. And it is quite an exciting signing given his tally of 15 goals to his name in the last season alongside the nine assists that he picked up.
Daniel Levy has been on a run to bring in high-potential young players to the roster at Hotspur Way and develop them into their potential within the corridors at N17, and he has been compounding those signings quite a lot lately, as we have seen with the arrivals of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Wilson Odobert.
Now Levy is vying for a move for another one of those high-ceiling players in Nene. But who is he? Let’s have a look…
Dorgeles Nene is a twenty-two (22) year old that plays for RB Salzburg and has been contracted with the Red Bull-owned team till 2028.
Nene is a versatile option given how he can play on both flanks or can even operate in a centre forward role. And the Lilywhites are said to be among the five clubs vying for a potential move for the Malian international.
This deal has Daniel Levy written all over it…
When we start looking a bit beyond the transfer policy that the North Londoners have adapted of late, the 63-year-old has often been vying for transfers that outsmart the market. If we think about it, Heung-Min Son was one of those deals that gave the Lilywhites a player who has world-beating capacity, and we now see how he has gone on to become a legend at the club.
Then he is also a businessman, given how he likes to get in on the player a bit early and have an upside potential to sell him with a huge margin. This is where the likes of Cristian Eriksen and Gareth Bale come into the picture. That being said, given the interest from Saudi Pro League clubs of late, Levy can still end up selling Son for a hefty €65.4m fee.
And by pursuing Nene, Levy is replicating this blueprint of buying low with the potential of a huge upside in terms of what he brings to the roster at Hotspur Way as well as, given his age and potential, a potential for future profits.
Should Nene end up making a name for himself at Tottenham, this move will end uping echo Levy’s best deals: high upside, moderate risk, and structured cost.
But then how will Nene fit under Thomas Frank?
The Dane head coach is set to take over the reins at N17, and his arrival would be a change in the playing philosophy at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Nene can take up the wing role in 4-3-3 or 3-5-2, where he is tasked with disciplined positioning yet provides forward thrust. And given h9w he is good at taking on his man in 1v1 duels, it should come in alignment with how Frank likes to use his wide players. And then Nene is also good at his high presses, which, once catered to triggers in Frank’s mid-block, could become really critical.
His pace could also be used in the transition, given how he is also apt at dribbling.
And his ability to play on either flank (and centrally) brings a sense of tactical fluidity on the pitch (something Frank loves as well, given how he used his forwards at Brentford).
Overall, Nene could bring a huge upside to Frank’s role roster at a cheap price and could end up becoming a key figure at Tottenham alongside the likes of Gray and Bergvall in years to come.
TTLB Opinion
By going after Dorgeles Nene, Tottenham are continuing to act according to Levy’s template of bringing in young players with high ceilings for low values.