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Tottenham Hotspur Links: Moussa Dembélé, the French Striker, is on Spurs’ Radar

By Alexander Balano

Jul 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino on the sidelines against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Tottenham defeated Toronto 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino on the sidelines against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Tottenham defeated Toronto 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here is today’s Tottenham Hotspur Links to read through.

There’s a lot of news to get to and it starts with a Moussa Dembélé transfer rumor, the striker from Fulham not Spurs’ central midfielder. Up next, Nabil Bentaleb has to impress when he comes back from international duty while Son Heung-min wanted to play with South Korea this week. Lastly, there is a complete list of Tottenham players who are away on international duty. To the news links below.

The 19-year-old French striker, Moussa Dembélé, from Fulham has no relation to the 28-year-old Belgium central midfielder, Mousa Dembélé, from Tottenham except for sharing the same exact name — with the addition of an extra ‘s’ in his first name. According to Get West London the French Dembélé has an expiring contract at the end of this season and is on the radar of Tottenham as well as Everton.

Besides having an opportunity to sign another Dembélé to the squad, Mauricio Pochettino could potentially have a backup striker that could help alleviate Harry Kane’s workload. While Kane’s form has returned and he’s scoring goals once again, it will be smart to offer him some rest when needed.

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“I remember what got me to the first team in the first place and it was because I worked really hard every day in the Academy and in the Development Squad and if I lose that work ethic, I will lose myself,” Bentaleb told Tottenham’s website earlier this year. I can’t afford to do that, it’s what got me here.”

Having that kind of commitment and work ethic is what will help Nabil Bentaleb reclaim a spot on Mauricio Pochettino’s bench once the international break is over. In order for Bentaleb to become a starter again, he would have to show that he’s better than Dele Alli, Mousa Dembélé, Eric Dier and Ryan Mason for the central and defensive midfield positions during the Europa League.

The Algerian international midfielder has plenty of time to return to Pochettino’s rotation due to his young age, 20. It would be shocking if Nabil Bentaleb slowly disappears from the squad and doesn’t play again for Tottenham if he’s healthy.

Mauricio Pochettino was rightfully concerned to see Son Heung-min selected for international duty well ahead of making his return to Spurs following his foot injury. But for Son Heung-min, this is something that he wanted to.

“My club didn’t want me to make the trip, worried that I would reinjure my foot,” Son said. “But I said I really wanted to go. I’ve been training all along (during the injury layoff) and I don’t think conditioning will be a concern. If I do get to play, I will give everything I have.”

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If Son doesn’t get re-injured against Myanmar and Laos then it’s a very good sign that the South Korean international is close to being fully fit — or he’s already 100 percent healthy.

Once the games are underway, whether Son Heung-min is starting or coming off of the bench there’s only one thing on his mind, to score goals.

“Matches like these could be more difficult to play,” Son added. “It’s important to get the first goal early. I am looking to score every time I enter a game, whether it’s for the club or the national team, but football isn’t an individual sport.

Here’s a list of Tottenham players who are away on international duty, which nation they play for, which country they’re facing and the date that they’re playing.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES

Austria — Kevin Wimmer
Switzerland (H) 11/17/15

Belgium — Toby Alderweireld, Mousa Dembélé and Jan Vertonghen
Italy (H) 11/13/15 | Spain (A) 11/17/15

England — Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker
Spain (A) 11/13/15 | France (H) 11/17/15

France —  Hugo Lloris
Germany (H) 11/13/15 | England (A) 11/17/15

Wales — Ben Davies
Netherlands (H) 11/13/15

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Algeria — Nabil Bentaleb
Tanzania (A) 11/14/15 | Tanzania (H) 11/17/15

Cameroon — Clinton N’Jie
Niger (A) 11/13/15 | Niger (H) 11/17/15

South Korea — Son Heung-Min
Myanmar (H) 11/12/15 | Laos (A) 11/17/15

Argentina — Érik Lamela
Brazil (H) 11/13/15 | Colombia (A) 11/17/15

United States of America — DeAndre Yedlin
St. Vincent & the Grenadines (H) 11/13/15 | Trinidad & Tobago (A) 11/17/15

YOUTH INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES

Next: Tottenham Will Benefit from Flying Beneath the Radar

England Under-19s — Josh Onomah and Kyle Walker-Peters
Netherlands (A) 11/13/15 | Japan (H) 11/15/15

England Under-20s — Harry Winks
France (A) 11/11/15 | France (A) 11/14/15