When it comes to the offseason, it is going to be busy for Tottenham Hotspur. From hiring a manager to deciding what happens to Harry Kane, there are some really big boulders for the club to move. However, beyond Kane and the manager, and beyond the players we know are leaving, there are a number of Spurs stars whose future is unclear.
Best for Tottenham and the player
While not always obvious, we would like to think that Tottenham Hotspur makes decisions in the best interest of the club. Sometimes the best interest of the club and player align and sometimes they do not. When looking at the rebuild that is needed for the Lilywhites, there are a few players who likely need a change of scenery as much as Tottenham needs fresh blood. Here are three players that are likely better off starting off anew somewhere that is not N17.
Davinson Sanchez’s development has stalled
Davinson Sanchez has been with Tottenham Hotspur for four seasons now, having first arrived from Ajax back in August of 2017. Having played 46 matches and over 4,000 minutes in his only season at Ajax, Sanchez was one of the main defensive cogs in a team that reached the Europa League final, only to lose to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
Since arriving at N17, Sanchez has featured 149 times for the club, however, his number of appearances and minutes have never been lower than this past season.
Sanchez started as the main option to rotate with Jan Vertoghen and Toby Alderweireld. Now he is a spot starter typically used against teams with athletic strikers, who Sanchez gets the good fortune of chasing.
Whether it is a physical ceiling or a mental hurdle, Sanchez has stopped really growing as a defender. The Columbian is probably Tottenham’s least flexible defender when it comes to positioning, with his work on the left scary at times.
After four years and with a glut of ride-sided center-halves, it might be time for Davinson Sanchez to go. Yes, Toby Alderweireld is getting no younger, and yes Eric Dier needs to move on too, but Sanchez’s career has grown stagnant, which is not good for anyone.
Tottenham ideally will bring in a left-sided center-half or two, to compliment Toby Alderweirled and Joe Rodon and can get a healthy payday for moving the Columbian international.
Signing Matt Doherty did not work
Maybe the signing of Matt Doherty was a surprise to some, maybe not to others. There was and still is a clear need for Tottenham Hotspur at right back. Factor in that Jose Mourinho thought very highly of Doherty, as evidenced in All or Nothing, and suddenly the move seemed to make sense, on paper.
Doherty started the season relatively well, alternating with Serge Aurier on the right of the Tottenham back four. However, as the season wore on it became obvious that Matt Doherty is not a fullback, he is a winger.
Doherty did not play fullback for Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves, he played on the outside of a four-man midfield. There is a major difference in the two roles and that gap was something neither the coaching staff, nor Doherty could overcome.
Matt Doherty had some moments, particularly early in the season in Europa League. However, overall as a player that was already 28 when he signed and is now 29, he did not and does not fit the ideal Tottenham transfer profile.
As multiple former Tottenham right-backs walk into the England National team, it is obvious, Spurs need more from the position and Doherty needs his old position back.
It is time for Dele, Tottenham to start over
Dele Alli has had a remarkable career at Tottenham Hotspur spanning some 251 matches accumulating 65 goals and another 60 assists. The means for his career at Spurs, Dele Alli has contributed either a goal or assist once every two appearances.
Of course, his career statistics at Tottenham hide the fact that over the last three seasons, Dele Alli has played less and less and his production has declined with it.
After breaking onto the scene in 2015/16 with 10 goals and 11 assists in 46 appearances, Dele had a career year the following season. IN 2016/17 Dele scored an incredible 22 goals and added another 13 assists in over 4,000 minutes of action. With a goal or assist every 114 minutes, Dele was producing at a remarkable rate and Tottenham was winning consistently as a result.
A dip in goals was accompanied by an increase in assists in 2017/18 but both dropped dramatically the following season, along with Dele’s minutes. As the midfielder fought through some injuries the form from those first three years has not returned.
Over the last three seasons accumulating 19 goals and 19 assists over 105 appearances show us the production is just not there anymore. After setting career lows in games (29), minutes (1355), goals (3), and assists (5), it is probably just time to move on. At 25 there is likely still a footballer in there just not the one Spurs fans reminisce about.
At this point, it is likely best for everyone if Dele moved on to try and re-start his career and allow the club to move on and restart our attacking midfield.
If Dele, Sanchez, and Doherty can all be moved for something close to their values, it will give Tottenham some additional funds to start the long-overdue rebuild.