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Spurs Target Profile: Riechedly Bazoer

By Ryan Wrenn

(L-R) Ouasim Bouy of PEC Zwolle, Wouter Marinus of PEC Zwolle, Riechedly Bazoer of Ajax during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and PEC Zwolle at the Amsterdam Arena on April, 2016 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Ouasim Bouy of PEC Zwolle, Wouter Marinus of PEC Zwolle, Riechedly Bazoer of Ajax during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and PEC Zwolle at the Amsterdam Arena on April, 2016 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
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Spurs won’t be rebuilding this summer so much as reinforcing, and targets like Riechedly Bazoer will be high on Mauricio Pochettino’s list.

Unfortunately for Spurs, he’s already been on several other clubs’ lists for years now. The 19-year-old is overflowing with talent, a faced evidenced by his status as a regular part of the starting XI for Ajax in the Netherlands.

While both club and player have rebuffed attempts to force a move as recently as January, Spurs might just be able to offer Bazoer a fast track to first team action and success.

Position – Central midfielder

Age – 19

Current Club – Ajax

Potential Transfer Fee – £12 million, per Transfermarkt

Why Spurs Want Him

Here’s a player who, at only 19, is not only starting put performing for one of the most legendary sides in Europe. No, Ajax aren’t the powerhouse that they once were, but they are among the best producers of young talent in the game. That Bazoer broke through those ranks to be a starter says something significant.

Watching a highlight reel of his time with the club provides the clearest answer.

From a starting position in the central of midfield, Bazoer has remarkable range. Not only is he clearly comfortable with pressing forward in attack, but he’s proven himself to be an able trigger of counter-attacks with his pintpoint accurate long balls.

The player envisions himself as more the latter than the former type of player. He wants to sit deep and control play from behind the attacking press, much as Eric Dier does at Spurs. While he likens himself to Arsenal great Patrick Vieira, Ajax coach Frank de Boer plays him in a more box-to-box role, thus exploiting the young players keen eye for clever passes and shots on goal.

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The arc of that story should be familiar to most Spurs fans. Dele Alli is a young and preciously talented player, and came into Spurs having played for MK Dons in a free roaming central midfield role. Pochettino placed him in a similar role when Alli made it into the starting XI, but quickly realized that the Englishman’s talents lay farther up the pitch. The subsequent adjustment led to Alli’s current status as arguably the breakout player of this Premier League season.

Likelihood?

There’s a key difference between Bazoer’s story and Alli’s however. While Bazoer has been targeted by the likes of Manchester City, Napoli and Arsenal since he was 16-years-old, Alli was a virtual unknown. He made his first impact on the professional game in the third division of English soccer, after all. Bazoer, in contrast, plays in the first team for one of the most storied clubs in football. Even if the Eredivisie isn’t quite at the standard of the top leagues in Europe, Bazoer’s ability to thrive there at such a young age is clearly enough of an indication of quality for multiple clubs to submit sizable bids for him. Competition for his services this summer will only raise his value.

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Alli, of course, cost Spurs all of £5 million in January of 2015. That deal quickly became the hallmark of a new era at Spurs, one that values frugality and diamond-in-the-rough scouting. While Bazoer seems like he would be a good fit for Pochettino’s set up, his ultimate cost might be too high.

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