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Marseille’s Lassana Diarra a Potential Transfer for Spurs?

By Alexander Balano

MARSEILLE, FRANCE - JANUARY 10: Lassana Diarra of OM in action during the French Ligue 1 match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and En Avant Guingamp at New Stade Velodrome on January 10, 2016 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
MARSEILLE, FRANCE - JANUARY 10: Lassana Diarra of OM in action during the French Ligue 1 match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and En Avant Guingamp at New Stade Velodrome on January 10, 2016 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /
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Spurs could use an extra central/defensive midfielder and Lassana Diarra is one option in this summer’s transfer window.

There’s a rumor going around (again since 2011?) that Olympique Marseille’s Lassana Diarra is a potential target for Spurs and could be had on a free transfer, according to talkSPORT (original source: L’Equipe, no link).

Whenever a footballer could be signed on a free transfer, teams should always inquire about said player. Doubly so, if it fills a position of need. And for Tottenham, there’s a big need for another defensive midfielder (as well as a central mid) because currently, there are no viable backups behind Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé.

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Now, forget the fact that Lassana Diarra is 31-years-old, and that he will be 32 come next season. Forget about Mauricio Pochettino’s devotion to a youth movement in which players from Tottenham’s academy are viable options to be plugged in as depth to save money.

The only thing that matters is Eric Dier is the only defensive midfielder on Tottenham’s squad. Sure Nabil Bentaleb last season has shown that he has a bright future when healthy, but even when given playing time this term, the Algerian international has looked shaky or sub-par at best.

As for Mousa Dembélé, his backups are Ryan Mason, Tom Carroll and Harry Winks. There’s depth at both positions, yes, but it’s not good enough. It could be much better which is why Mauricio Pochettino should look to improve these two positions, but mainly at holding mid.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 10 : Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane on April 10 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 10 : Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane on April 10 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

At the moment, Eric Dier has appeared in 46 games — which honestly should be more had Spurs not been eliminated prematurely in the League Cup and if Dier didn’t get suspended. And because there are five games left in the Premier League, the England international will have racked up 51 games in all competitions in just his second season with Spurs.

Last term, Dier appeared in 36 games in all comps, so there’s been a huge increase this year. And something that is not sustainable for a 10-year career, or more, if Eric Dier is the only defensive midfielder in Tottenham’s squad.

It would be ludicrous and asinine to think that just because Dier hasn’t showed any noticeable signs of fatigue or suffered a long-term injury, and because he’s only 22, that Tottenham is set at defensive midfield. Because they’re not.

If the striker position is constantly brought up as lacking depth and supporters want backup players, then defensive mid is somewhat the same.

Except there’s a need for depth.

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With Lassana Diarra, Spurs would be getting a defensive midfielder who can spotlight as a central mid as well. Whether he fits into the high-press system is a different matter entirely, but it could be something that can be worked on with pre-season training.

Diarra’s age should not be a crutch even if he’s past 30. There should be no age-cap on any footballer because teams would place a huge handicap on themselves when it comes to adding more depth. While the French international may not have a resale value, it’s common for players who are over the age of 30.

Also, Pochettino tends to favor players who can play multiple positions (Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, etc.) so position-wise, the 31-year-old would be a good fit as a useful rotational player to give Dier and Dembélé some rest.

And there’s no need for a transfer fee as he has a clause in his four-year deal when he signed with Marseille last summer, that allows him to leave in the summer for free. So again, an inquiry for Lassana Diarra should at least happen.

Now if Tottenham foregoes signing Diarra because of the aforementioned points: age, an unknown fit in the high-press, Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason, Tom Carroll and Harry Winks as viable backup options. Then that means Mauricio Pochettino fully believes that Spurs are set at central/defensive midfield.

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If that’s the case, then the only concern with not signing Lassana Diarra, is not being able to pick his brain and gain even more valuable experience. Which is something that could benefit this young Tottenham squad.

Spurs this year have shown that they can win games in the Premier League with the youngest starting eleven in terms of their average starting age. And while that’s fine, trying to put that up against Europe’s elite clubs in the Champions League is a scary thought. They’ll gain valuable experience over time but it could be a quick exit after the group stage.

Even if Diarra has only 30 Champions League games under his belt with three different clubs: Chelsea (7 games; 2005-07), Arsenal (2 games; 2007-08) and Real Madrid (21 games; 2008-12) that shouldn’t be scoffed at which is more than a majority of Tottenham’s current players right now. So any kind of experience that Spurs’ youngsters can gain from Lassana Diarra would be great.