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Who is 19-year-old Tottenham transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo?

By Gary Pearson

REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - NOVEMBER 19: Vittorio Parigini (R) of Italy celebrates with his team-mates Nicolo Zaniolo(C) and Riccardo Orsolini after scoring the opening goal during the International friendly match between Italy U21 and Germany U21 on November 19, 2018 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - NOVEMBER 19: Vittorio Parigini (R) of Italy celebrates with his team-mates Nicolo Zaniolo(C) and Riccardo Orsolini after scoring the opening goal during the International friendly match between Italy U21 and Germany U21 on November 19, 2018 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images) /
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The Mirror links Roma starlet Nicolo Zaniolo with a move to Tottenham, so what would the Italian teenager bring to London and is he worth £40 million?

Notice a trend with most Spurs’ transfer targets?

Many players Tottenham have expressed interest in are of a tender age, most either in the early 20s or still in their latter teenage years. That trend continues with Zaniolo, who is 19 years old. He leaves his teenage years behind on July 2, though, when the Italian turns 20.

Zaniolo arrived from Inter at the beginning of the 2018/19 season, and has made an expeditious meteoric rise. Roma bought the young midfielder for a paltry £3.8 million; he is now worth in the range of £40 to £50 million.

Making 35 appearances for Roma this season, Zaniolo scored six goals. More importantly, though, Zaniolo imprinted his influence in midfield, impressively so for a player of such inexperience.

Zaniolo’s skillset

Zaniolo has the ability to play almost anywhere in midfield. His robust physique and tall frame allows him to cover ground incredibly efficiently. His raw strength makes playing box-to-box look easy. He can also sit in front of the back four and knock precise through balls from a deep-lying position. However, his current short-range passing ability is a slight achilles heal, making him better suited farther up the pitch.

His versatility in the middle of the park makes him an appealing target for Mauricio Pochettino. The gaffer adores this type of player, someone who is young, works tirelessly to close space and gets around the pitch effortlessly.

He is also lethal around the goal, can dribble at pace, and in close quarters, and reads the game like a wily veteran.

His impressive rise in the Serie A culminated with two caps for the national side. The usual suspects, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus have also been linked to the wunderkind.

Next. Four of Tottenham's top transfer targets. dark

What do you think about Zaniolo, and would he fit in well with Pochettino’s current squad in North London?