Tottenham have recently scouted Maghnes Akliouche for France and could accelerate their pursuit of him in January
Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive resilience under Thomas Frank has been one of the standout positives this season. The north London club have proven to be a tough nut to crack, recording eight clean sheets across all competitions already. But, the struggles have been going forward for Thomas Frank’s side.
Except for Mohammed Kudus, none of Tottenham’s attackers have been consistent. The matter of the fact that defender Micky van de Ven is the club’s top scorer with six goals speaks volumes about their problems. The creativity has been an issue too, with summer’s marquee signing Xavi Simons failing to hit the ground running.
Among several players, AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham in the summer. Thomas Frank wanted another creative outlet to compensate for the injury losses of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, but Spurs baulked at his £47.5 million price.
Tottenham could accelerate move to sign Maghnes Akliouche
Tottenham scouts were present to watch Maghnes Akliouche in action for France against Ukraine in Paris. France beat Ukraine 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier last week, and built on it with a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan. Akliouche scored his first senior goal for Les Blues against Azerbaijan, repaying Didier Deschamps’ faith in him.
Despite missing out on him in the summer, Spurs have continued to monitor the progress of AS Monaco talent. The 23-year-old has performed very well this season and gave the Tottenham players a torrid time during their Champions League encounter with AS Monaco last month. And now ex-scout Mick Brown claims that Tottenham remain interested and could intensify their efforts to sign Akliouche in January.
“Tottenham are looking to sign a flair player on the wing,” Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider.
“It’s something the manager wants to add to his side, and potentially an attacking midfielder too, so it won’t come as a surprise that they’ve been keeping tabs on him.
“They’ll have watched him for France, and obviously he scored a goal in that game which has done him no harm in terms of that interest.
“I think there are a few players on their radar and I have questions about whether they could get it done. It’s difficult to say how much they will be willing to spend in January, but the manager will want to add to his squad and so they’ll be assessing their options.
“Akliouche is very highly rated in France and he’s now playing for the national team, so of course that’s a good sign as far as his qualities go.
“If he keeps impressing, he could definitely be somebody Tottenham go for, because he fits the bill of the players they want to add to their squad.”
Akliouche could potentially fill the void of Kudus
Thomas Frank is set to lose Kudus to AFCON in mid-December, one of his most influential players of the season thus far. That would leave a huge gap in Spurs’ attack, given how Kudus has largely shouldered the creative responsibility of the team. Thus, it is obvious the club must bring in a player to potentially replace the Ghanaian when he departs for the AFCON, and Akliouche fits that bill perfectly.
The France international can operate on either flank as well as a No.10, and he will add pace, flair and unpredictability to the Lilywhites’ attack. He could fancy a move to the Premier League as well to grow in his career. Tottenham could provide Akliouche with the opportunity to hone his skills and unlock his true potential under Frank, whilst providing a platform to compete for trophies.
However, it would not be easy to sign Akliouche mid-season as Monaco would likely demand a premium.
