Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to bring in a new forward in the ongoing summer transfer window as Daniel Levy looks to compound on the floor of the squad before commencement of the new season. And we are surely seeing the 63-year-old club chairman trying to compound on his financial flex by bringing in some of the best available players on the market to the roster at Hotspur Way.
And given that the North Londoners are still in a bit of a blue about the whole Heung-Min Son situation, given the South Korean skipper’s links with a move away from the club intensifying, the chiefs at N17 are preparing for any possibilities of him leaving this summer, and this is where they have lined up on possibilities of bringing 26-year-old Portuguese international Raphael Leao to North London.
The former Lille star has to be one of the most explosive wide forwards in world football at the moment, and given how he moves in his channel, Thomas Frank would absolutely love to have him in his roster.
Leao straight away raises the ceiling
Coming in at 6’2″ with his blistering rapidness alongside his bravery with the ball at his feet, we all know how Leao is pure menace, especially when he is driving at defenders.
Time and again across the seasons we have seen the Portuguese international hugging the touchline at San Siro or taking his moments to drift centrally. We have seen him make a habit of embarrassing his marking fullbacks in the Serie A given the blend of pace and power that he has, but it is not only that; he uses trickery and intelligence to get around, and then he has that final-third end product to make a difference. That could be well seen in the numbers that he boasted last season, where he netted twelve goals complemented by thirteen assists for his current employers last season.
If we are talking purely about that rapidness and intensity, we have only seen maybe glimpses of that at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Son. But that being said, Leao is not as relentless as the South Korean in a lot of other things in the game, and you can well start ticking that off with his defensive efforts (something he has been criticised a lot for by the supporters).
But given that if he moves to Tottenham under Thomas Frank, the Dean head coach’s pragmatism in his structure will give Leao that room to finesse those details. See, the Portuguese international doesn’t press his man like a terrier (Son), but then the 26-year-old also tracks when it matters. And when it comes to recovery, he does that in fifth gear.
How does Leao fit into this Thomas Frank setup at Tottenham?
Thomas Frank is more than just a charismatic presence on the flanks at Hotspur Way.
If you look at how he goes about his tactics, the Dane head coach has the variation of structures that he implemented during his time at Brentford (4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, even a 3-5-2), with all of these systems designed in a manner that gives license to the wide attackers to go from the outside to inside and in a very direct manner.
So when the Bees played under his tutelage, they were quite direct and compact when needed. But many are expecting his Tottenham side to evolve into a far more fluid team given the quality of the players Frank will have at his disposal. This is where we are expecting quick transitions complemented by positional interchanges to get an upper hand on the opponents.
Now you bring that, and imagine Leao in those structures (with that playing style); the Portuguese star fits that blueprint to a tee.
If it is about playing him in a 4-3-3 on that left wing, then he ends up being a natural heir to Son given his ability to play in that channel and cut in whilst linking up with the striker (#9). And here, you can also use him to get better at narrow blocks.
Then if we talk about a 3-5-2, you can easily see Leao playing as a drifting second striker where he is more off the shoulder of the two up front and plays in the pocket and through the middle. This is where the Dane head coach won’t chain him to the touchline; he will instead try to unshackle him and give him that freedom to express himself with the ball.
Leao will be a statement signing
If Daniel Levy is able to secure his signatures this summer, he will not just be another signing; Leao will be a signal, a signal that Tottenham are serious about themselves under Thomas Frank and the chiefs at N17 are ready to put their money where their mouth is…
