Tottenham Move on from Georginio Wijnaldum

Because of Newcastle’s £25 million valuation for Georginio Wijnaldum, Tottenham have decided to move on from the Dutch midfielder.

It was always going to be a long shot for Tottenham to sign Georginio Wijnaldum at £25 million, and because his value is too high for Spurs’ liking, they have decided to move on according to the Mirror.

With a solid season last year: 11 goals and five assists in 40 games in all competitions, Wijnaldum’s value shouldn’t have skyrocketed that high after Newcastle United paid PSV Eindhoven just £14.5 million last summer.

But because Newcastle were relegated and is now preparing for their 2016-17 campaign in the Championshp, Rafa Benítez has been intent on keeping one of his star players by placing a not-so surprising value on the 25-year-old.

If Wijnaldum should be had for a high transfer fee, starting at £20 million would have been a bit more reasonable to then begin a bidding war process.

That wasn’t the case, and now it looks like Tottenham will look elsewhere for an attacking midfielder that is within their price range even though Georginio Wijnaldum has been open on joining Spurs this summer (and probably still is).

Now that Tottenham has moved on, Liverpool is in pole position to sign Wijnaldum.

It’s unknown if the 25-year-old wants to join the Reds as badly as he wanted to play for Spurs, but in any event, should Newcastle decide to sell the Dutch midfielder, they’ll make a £10.5 million profit after just one season.

Missing out Wijnaldum isn’t that big of a blow for Mauricio Pochettino, since his current value isn’t reflective from his season last year, but there is now one less player to sign who can fill the role of an impact player on Spurs’ bench.

Tottenham aren’t necessarily looking for starters to add to their team, as there aren’t many holes to fill on the starting XI as is, but had the Dutch international been signed, he would have been a definite starter in all likelihood due to his price.

More from Hotspur HQ

So, where does Pochettino turn to now that Georginio Wijnaldum is out of the picture? There are three alternatives which Hotspur HQ’s Ryan Wrenn recently took a look at.

One name on Wrenn’s list, Georges-Kévin N’Koudou, is apparently close to joining Tottenham within the next couple of days if Marseille and Spurs have in fact agreed to a deal which doesn’t involve Clinton N’Jie.

But while N’Koudou would be a good alternative to Wijnaldum, he would be a wide player instead. Mauricio Pochettino needs to bolster his squad by adding an attacking midfielder and an out-and-out winger.

If N’Koudou joins, an attacking midfielder would still be needed. Dele Alli will remain as the starter, but his backup — or rather the previous starter — Christian Eriksen is now starting as the left midfielder. Son Heung-Min who can play all three attacking midfield positions from left to right won’t be available for Tottenham since he is a part of South Korea’s Olympic squad as an over-age player.

What could likely happen, if Tottenham doesn’t want to spend too much money for what will eventually be a backup player, is to go with a youth player.

Next: Tottenham Player Preview: Jan Vertonghen

Alex Pritchard is the first name that comes to mind as he has been viewed as Eriksen’s eventual successor. His 2014-15 season with Brentford in the Championship was enough to justify a place on Mauricio Pochettino’s first team last year but an ankle injury robbed him of any playing time.

With Tottenham’s pre-season program entering its third week, Pritchard will get a chance to prove that he still has the potential to be one of Spurs’ best players from their academy since Harry Kane. Another player to keep an eye on would be Josh Onomah who can also play in the number 10 spot, and has already gotten a few games under his belt.

Home/Tottenham News