Tottenham want to replace Odobert with Serie A winger Thomas Frank is crazy about & his girlfriend could veto a N17 transfer – Opinion

There has been an idea circulating around which points towards the North Londoners considering to offload Wilson Odobert in the ongoing summer transfer window with Champions League football set to Hotspur Way and this is where the North Londoners do need a squad full of quality players and that is where the Lilywhites links with a move for Gustav Isaksen comes in given that the Lazio winger could end up being a replacement for the former Burnley winger and an alternative to Brennan Johnson.

The Lilywhites have been interested in landing the 24-year-old Serie A attacker for about a year now but with Thomas Frank now taking charge of the proceedings in North London and the Dane head coach has made no secret of his admiration for the Danish winger whom he tried to sign during his Brentford days.

There have been reports via La Lazio Siamo Noi suggesting that the Lilywhites target will be costing somewhere along €25-30 million this summer given that his current employers are are aware of the interest from elsewhere in their winger. If we are to think about the 24-year-old, he has been an integral figure at Lazio and has been growing in stature despite the recent woes at Stadio Olimpico.

If we think about the current roster, it does need a left-footed right-winger given that there is not one with capacity of giving consistent nightmares to defenders. While the North Londoners do have someone like Dejan Kulusevski in the roster who is more of a similar profile, but as we saw last season there is a possibilty that the Swede’s future could be more central. And hence, someone like Isaksen could end up being a solid option at N17 especially because Isaksen ticks every strategic box of what Thomas Frank wants to implement at Tottenham, he has that versatility and energy complemented by the ever important tactical intelligence.

What does Isaksen bring to N17?

Isaksen has a versatile attacking profile given that he can play as a right winger, inverted #10, or even part of a 3‑5‑2 front two and then he is strong in ball progression and has that creative dribbling capacity complemented by how he arrives very late into the box making it hard to mark his presence.

And the system that Frank is expected to implement at Tottenham, it needs wingers who have that capacity to press intelligently and contribute to transitional situations and this is where we have seen Isaksen bring in his athleticism and commitment which makes him a reliable ally to the North Londoners and Dane’s system.

Thinking more deeply about Thomas Frank’s system, he likes players who understand rotation complemented by half-space movements and off-the-ball cohesion. And as we saw by Isaksen’s time playing in Serie A that he has refined these traits which makes him a system-friendly player and rather not someone who is system-dependent.

Lastly, there is a personal pull to the transfer given that the 24-year-old’s girlfriend, Olivia Holdt, plays for Tottenham Women, and the couple would surely prefer to stay in the same city and drive together to training.

Strengths

Gustav Isaksen is a versatile profile, and his tactical intelligence helps him operate deeply along those positions, especially given that he can play across the right wing or drift into the half-spaces, or even play in that front two which Thomas Frank is known for. Moreover, his understanding of pressing triggers and ability to maintain composure work well with the Dane’s need to play on the front foot.

And lastly, I think that forking out somewhere along twenty-five million for him is not a huge investment for a club with a statue of Tottenham, and this investment has more of a high-upside capacity given that he brings not only an immediate rotational capacity but also a sense of long-term structure.

Weaknesses

While he is tactically good, it is to be seen how he adapts to the pace and power of English football. Something that I also think that Premier League clubs could start doing when he plays is ask his marker, the fullback, to stay deeper because the 24-year-old’s current capacity to create wide overloads is not elite at the moment, which could limit wing-based chances.

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Author Opinion

I do think that Gustav Isaksen is exactly the type of player that Thomas Frank likes to have in his squad (someone who has that intelligence about him complemented by having that energy and transformational capacity without any of the flashiness). And bringing him would mean that Levy will make that first true Thomas Frank signing…