However Unlikely, Signing Insigne Would Be Good for Spurs

The prospect of a Champions League berth has opened up a whole new level of transfer rumor for Spurs, with Lorenzo Insigne the latest subject.

Whereas in recent years Spurs fans had to rely almost exclusively on idle tweets and unscrupulous newspaper hearsays about all-but-unknowns, now the club is honored with being tenuously linked by connected public figures to some of Europe’s best players.

As reported by Football Italia, former Catania sporting director Pietro Lo Monaco told TV Luna recently that he had spoken with Tottenham and that Mauricio Pochettino would love to recruit Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne.

That itself shouldn’t be exactly news. Insigne is a marvelous player, having finally matured at a Napoli side competing for the Serie A title this season. He would make an exciting addition to virtually any club, but particularly Spurs.

The 24-year-old’s story might ring familiar with a lot of Spurs fans. The Naples native joined the club’s youth system in 2006, worked his way up the ranks until he was sent off on a co-ownership deal with Foggia then on loan to Pescara.

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While neither club served in Serie A during Insigne’s time with them, he still proved remarkably adept at standing out. While still a teenager, he scored 19 goals for Foggia the season before scoring 18 and assisting 14 other goals for Pescara in their successful bid to be promoted to the Italian top flight. He returned to Napoli as one of the club’s most promising prospects.

The return was ill-timed for several reasons. Napoli were undergoing violent transitions from season to season in the early ’10s, changing players, managers and tactics at a clip that made it difficult for a young player like Insigne to settle in. A knee injury last season limited his minutes, thus sinking Napoli’s prodigal son deeper into a mire.

Current Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri knew what he had at his disposal when he arrived at the club last summer, and didn’t want to waste it. He reshuffled the side to get the best out of Insigne and Gonzalo Higuaín specifically, and the results have been spectacular. Higuaín is Serie A’s top scorer, and Insigne has thus far notched 11 goals and 10 assists. The young Italian is returning to the form that made him so exciting to Napoli fans when he played for Foggia and Pescara.

There are echoes of Harry Kane in Insigne’s story, and that’s precisely why it seems so unlikely that Napoli would want to part if indeed Spurs do come calling as Lo Monaco hinted. Napoli would understandably be reluctant to part with a player with such a deep connection to the club and fanbase.

That’s becomes especially true is Napoli hold on to qualify for the Champions League or even, somehow, best Juventus for their first title since 1990. Spurs would then need to offer an even more considerable chunk of change to get the Italian international’s signature.

Compared to other recent big money movies Spurs have been linked with – think Jackson Martínez or Islam Slimani – this might be money well spent though. Insigne fits into the mold of a Spurs attacking midfield. He’s quick in transition, clever with a pass and devastating from range. Six of his 11 goals this season have come from outside the penalty area, while also managing more passes that result in shots than both Dele Alli and Érik Lamela this season per WhoScored.

NAPLES, ITALY – JANUARY 31: Lorenzo Insigne of Napoli celebrates during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Empoli FC at Stadio San Paolo on January 31, 2016 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images) /

There’s still some questions to be asked – as there are with every import from the slower, more tactical Serie A – about whether or not Insigne could handle the rigors of the Premier League, and especially Pochettino’s high intensity pressing game. If there’s some encouragement to be had that Insigne would be a good fit, it’s mostly found in what he proved capable of at Foggia and Pescara.

Both of those teams were coached by a Czech named Zdeněk Zeman. He’s made the rounds of Italian football, most notably in a brief recent stint at Roma. Put lightly, Zeman’s style of play is aggressive. Close to suicidal, actually. He encourages his attackers – and indeed, his entire team – to commit when going forward, surging against opposition defenses even if it leaves his own defense exposed if possession is lost.

Insigne was a key part of this system, a fact made clear by his considerable goal contributions to both teams. That alone wouldn’t be enough to qualify him for a big money move to Spurs, of course. Pochettino is much more focused on defense than Zeman – read: at all – and Insigne would be expected to play his part off the ball just as everyone else on the team does.

This season’s efforts under Sarri suggest he’s capable of that, though nothing quite compares to what Pochettino expects of his attackers. Still, it’s not ridiculous to think that Insigne would transition well to Spurs if given the chance.

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With Heung-min Son, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen joining Alli and Lamela in competing for those midfield spots that Insigne would operate in, it’s hard to see how the club would justify spending as much as it would take to bring him to north London. As the team prepare to refit and add depth for a Champions League push next season though, it’s fair to start believing that moves for such highly regarded talent are possible.