Tottenham and Liverpool set to compete for Lazio winger

Fresh off of rumors that Tottenham might enter a bidding war for Napoli’s Piotr Zielinksi, it appears as if the two clubs might be in for another Serie A man as well.

That player is left winger Keita Baldé — or simply known as Keita — and he currently plies his trade at Lazio in Rome. While the 22-year-old is clearly a talent, it is unclear how he would fit into Tottenham’s current set up.

Keita was first nurtured by Barcelona’s vaunted youth setup, but failed to make enough of an impression during his time there. He was sold to Lazio for €300,000 in 2013 after a loan spell.

The move, at first, seemed like only a modest steal. Keita was young and inexperienced, and his first two seasons with Lazio were far short of spectacular. He scored just nine goals and set up five assists in 56 total appearances in the league.

Then, in 2016/17, everything changed. Keita earned a regular spot in the starting XI and repaid the faith shown in him. In 21 starts and ten substitute appearances, he scored 16 goals and set up three assists. He consequently played a big part in keeping Lazio competitive in an increasingly tricky league.

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It’s therefore hardly a surprise that other clubs might come calling for the Senegalese international’s signature. Juventus lead the chase for now, it seems, but Tottenham and Liverpool might vie for the 22-year-old should that move fall through.

With the rumors linking him to a move abroad sometimes suggesting prices of up to £60 million, it seems unlikely that Spurs remain on the hunt for very long. Just one season of fine football doesn’t seem worth to a price-conscious team like Spurs.

The rumored interest in Keita, though, tells you something about one of the few shortcomings of this Tottenham team.

Mauricio Pochettino recognized early in his tenure at the club that there is a lack of reliable pace and incision from the wing. So much of Spurs’ quality comes through the middle that sometimes they are much too easy to defend against. All some opposing teams need to do is crowd the center of the pitch and wait things out.

Having a player out wide to help supplement the work of the full-backs would stretch play and, perhaps, add a few more goals to Spurs’ tally.

In seasons past that role has been filled, for better or for worse, by Aaron Lennon, Nacer Chadli and Andros Townsend. All were deemed sub-par by Pochettino however and now ply their trade elsewhere.

Heung-min Son is at his strongest when he plays on the wing, but even his game is best when he cuts inside through the middle.

The acquisition of players like Clinton Njie and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou over the last two seasons was meant to help cover for Son as well as add some youthful speed to the attacking flanks. Neither player has met expectations however, and it seems the summer of 2017 might also be in part defined by the pursuit of yet another pacey wide man.

As talented as Keita might be, he is probably not the right fit for Tottenham even without taking into consideration his likely asking price.

Next: Tottenham looking to Polish international for midfield support

The fact is being pacey in Serie A is a very different thing to being pacey in the Premier League. One of the primary differences between the Italian and English game is speed and the ability to maintain it throughout the 90 minutes. Right now there is no hard evidence that Keita can perform at the level Pochettino expects from his players.