Tottenham turn eye toward midfield depth — again

Tottenham appear set to re-ignite their interest in a target from last summer while also inquiring about a Serie A regular.

Max Meyer was near the top of Tottenham’s shopping list last summer before Schalke quoted far too high a price for the youngster. Now that the 21-year-old’s contract is set to expire next year, they seem more willing to negotiate for Meyer’s sale. More unexpected though is Spurs’ purported interest in Fiorentina midfielder Matias Vecino.

Let’s lay out how likely each move might be, and how they might change Spurs’ gameplan.

The rumors about Meyer deserve to be put in the same category as those whispers about Spurs’ desires to sign Ross Barkley or Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Tottenham don’t need additional depth in the area of the pitch Meyer favors. He prefers a central attacking midfield role, the same one currently occupied by Dele Alli and easily covered by Christian Eriksen. Meyer must see that if he earns a move to Spurs, there is no guarantee he gets minutes.

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Which isn’t to say that Meyer doesn’t deserve to start. He’s young but comes with plenty of experience at one of the highest levels of football, a combination that Mauricio Pochettino actively seeks out in new recruits. It’s easy to see how he would fit with Spurs — if it weren’t for the fact that the club already rely on two even better players.

All that being said, the prospect of acquiring a player of Meyer’s caliber for the reported £17.5 million fee might be too good to pass up. Even if he might not immediately start, it does not hurt to have an option like Meyer in the rotation.

Vecino, too, is most likely to come into the club as a rotation option. Pochettino reportedly sounded out la Viola in regard to the Argentine, according to the Sun. He operates in central and defensive midfield for Fiorentina, making him an ideal candidate to either understudy or replace Eric Dier should he leave the club.

The 25-year-old seems like he would fill Dier’s traditional midfield role well. He’s a capable defender but also possesses a fine enough touch and rangy enough vision to also perform as something of a metronome.

Victor Wanyama will remain the first choice defensive midfielder at Spurs, especially if Pochettino persists with the 3-4-2-1 formation. The Kenyan is more of a pure destroyer than Dier or Vecino, but unlike either man might be more capable of manning the duties at the center of the park all by himself.

Next: Tottenham set to offer Kieran Trippier new five year deal

Though Meyer and Vecino remain just rumors for now, they are rumors that seem to indicate that Spurs will again spend the summer looking for depth rather than starters. The club attempted to do the same last summer and failed for the most part — Pochettino will be hoping for better results this time around.