Tottenham reportedly pursue Bayern Munich fringe player

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Douglas Costa of Bayern Muenchen and Francis Coquelin of Arsenal battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Emirates Stadium on March 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Douglas Costa of Bayern Muenchen and Francis Coquelin of Arsenal battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Emirates Stadium on March 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham could find itself in a race to sign Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa before the summer is out.

Injury kept the Brazilian from starting as many games as he did in his inaugural season with the German giants, but his pace and threat along the touchline remain attractive qualities to a team like Tottenham.

The Independent passes on the Bild‘s rumor that Bayern are looking to stock up over the summer, and Costa might be allowed to leave to make room.

Some might take that willingness to part company as a rather damning slight for Costa, but the reality is much more nuanced. A squad like Bayern’s is always full to the point of overflowing. Sacrifices need to be made, talented players need to be let go, and the process begun anew each and every summer.

It helps too that Tottenham might be willing to part with £30 million for the player, an amount which would represent a modest profit on Bayern’s end.

What would Spurs be getting for such a large chunk of change though?

Costa began his career at Gremio in Brazil before being scouted and purchased by Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010, when the player himself had just turned 20.

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The club specializes in identifying young, undervalued Brazilian starts and shuttling them half way across the world to compete in the Ukranian Premier League. The careers of Chelsea’s Willian and Manchester City’s Fernandinho started just like this.

After several seasons with the club, Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern came calling in the summer of 2015. With Pep Guardiola gone, the Italian wanted more direct players that were less oriented around the patient possession the Spaniard lived and died by.

Costa is that type of player, and Bayern paid a small fortune to acquire him. His impact was immediate. Never a prolific goalscorer, he knows instead how to create goals — either directly or indirectly.

His twelve assists in the Bundesliga and Champions League are, of course, his direct contribution. An electric pace that confounds opposing wingers and full-backs in equal measure gave a less obvious value to Costa’s game.

Simply put: there was no way you could ignore his presence on the pitch. One or, more likely, two players needed to be committed to keeping the 26-year-old out of dangerous areas or from receiving the ball at his feet. Should he get even one yard of space, he will punish you.

The appeal to Spurs here is obvious. For two seasons now, more or less since Mauricio Pochettino was involved for a full summer transfer window of decisions, the club have desperately searched for a quick, dangerous winger to stretch play both vertically and horizontally.

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Their time on the pitch has been minimal, but to date it does not appear as if Clinton Njie or Georges-Kévin Nkoudou are those players that Tottenham need. Pochettino might feel that it’s high time that the club put actual money down for a proven player with experience in both a top European division and the Champions League. And Costa might be the best option available this summer.