There have been more than a few memorable summer windows for Tottenham Hotspur over the years, but perhaps the most memorable was 2013.
It was the window in which Gareth Bale was sold for a then-world-record fee of £85m, and instead of spending that money on a few top-quality replacements, the North Londoners signed their infamous magnificent seven.
Unfortunately, most of them were anything but, although Christian Eriksen was among them, who went on to have a brilliant six-and-a-half-year career at the club before moving to Inter Milan in January 2020.
The Danish international was an incredibly gifted footballer, and based on recent reports, Spurs might be looking to sign Eriksen 2.0, someone who’d be a great addition to the squad, but might be bad news for Pape Matar Sarr.
Tottenham transfer news
Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other brilliant talents linked with a move to Spurs in recent weeks, such as Tim Kleindienst and Daizen Maeda.
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The former could reportedly be available for just £30m this summer, which would represent a brilliant deal, as in just 33 games this season, the full German international scored 16 goals and provided ten assists.
However, Maeda did even better than that, scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in 51 games for Celtic, and could be signed for just £25m.
Yet, another star from outside the top-five leagues is now on the club’s radar: Quinten Timber.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs are now one of several sides interested in signing the Feyenoord captain this summer.
The report has revealed that even though the 23-year-old is out injured, a failure to agree a new contract with him could force the Dutch giants into selling him this year, with a fee of up to €30m – £25m – supposedly being enough.
The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and several Spanish teams are also said to be interested in the talented midfielder, so it could be a difficult transfer to get over the line.
That said, Spurs should do what they can to bring him to N17, as he could be another Eriksen and even an upgrade on Sarr.
How Timber compares to Eriksen and Sarr
So before we get onto the comparison between Timber and Sarr, it’s worth explaining what we mean by him potentially being another Eriksen.
The first element of this comparison is that, like the Spurs player, the Feyenoord captain would be making his way from the Eredivisie to N17, and not only that, but as one of the most exciting and impressive midfielders in the Dutch top-flight.
Second, while the Dane was more of a traditional attacking midfielder than the Arsenal star’s brother is, the 23-year-old is no slouch when it comes to the attacking side of the game, making five appearances in attacking midfield this season and producing seven goal involvements in 26 appearances.
With that said, how does he stack up against the North Londoners’ young Senegalese ace? As with his primary position being central midfield, he’d be in competition with him for game time next year.
Well, the best way to understand where the pair stand in this regard is to look at their underlying numbers, and when we do this, it becomes clear that the “extraordinary” Dutchman, as dubbed by Mikel Arteta, could well be the better player.
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
0.26
0.24
Progressive Passes
4.39
4.13
Progressive Carries
1.55
1.55
Shots
2.26
1.60
Shots on Target
0.91
0.61
Passing Accuracy
82.8%
86.4%
Key Passes
1.42
0.70
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.03
0.56
Expected Assists
0.12
0.04
Shot-Creating Actions
3.36
2.12
Tackles
2.32
2.30
Successful Take-Ons
1.68
0.52
Ball Recoveries
3.68
5.40
For example, he comes out ahead in most relevant metrics, such as non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, shots and shots on target, key passes, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.
On top of that, the former Ajax youth product is also the captain of Feyenoord, which suggests he’s already got some serious leadership credentials at just 23 and could, therefore, be a real asset to Postecoglou in the middle of the park.
Ultimately, while he’s not going to play in the same way Eriksen did, Timber could have a similar impact on the team, and therefore, Spurs should do what they can to sign him this summer.
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