As the World Cup progresses, Tottenham leadership is likely to watch games considering players for Spurs to consider, which should include these three Americans.
Teams should not overreact to performances in the World Cup and spend crazy money on players. However, the World Cup is still great for scouting for potential transfer targets. In particular, as a Tottenham fan in the United States, it would be great for Spurs to sign their next American, especially one of these three stars.
Tottenham has a history of American players
Football, or soccer as it is known here, is still growing as a sport professionally, and as a result, more Americans are playing in Europe and the Premier League. Before this season, 49 Americans had played at least once in Premier League.
Of the 49 Americans who have played in the League, four have played for Spurs – Clint Dempsey, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, and DeAndre Yedlin. A fifth America, Cameron Carter-Vickers, was part of Spurs academy for a long time and made five appearances for the club but none in the League.
Carter-Vickers left Spur’s books this past summer after moving to Celtic following a successful loan spell. This means Tottenham has no Americans on the team and should consider one of these three, who played for the United States against England in the World Cup.
The right wing-back Tottenham has been looking for – Timothy Weah
Given that he was one of the strikers for the United States, it may seem strange to think about signing Timothy Weah as a right-wing-back. However, given the needs at the position from an attacking sense and knowing how Weah performs for Lille, the move makes sense.
Timothy is the son of former professional George Weah and was schooled at the PSG academy. Weah played six games for the senior team and spent a year on loan with Celtic before joining Lille in 2019 (transfermarkt.com).
At Lille, Weah plays everywhere as a center-forward, a winger, and a right-back. That unique combination of attacking talent and defensive nous is the profile Spurs need for Antonio Conte‘s system. Further, his pace would be a genuine compliment to Kulusevski on the right side.
Only 22, under contract until 2024 at Lille, and valued at just €12.00m, Weah is signable.
Signing Weah would fill a need as a backup for Dejan Kulusevski and a more attack-minded alternative to Emerson Royal. Likewise, these two Americans would fill a need for the team.
Giovanni Reyna for Spur’s creative needs
A narrative that probably does not get much run in England, but is alive and well in the US, is how disappointed some fans are that the Berkalter and the US did not go for it more against England. For many fans, going for it would have included bringing on attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna earlier in the game.
Like Weah, Reyna is the son of a former professional. Gio’s father, Claudio Reyna, was a pioneer for modern soccer in the US, and the expectations for his son are significant in the states.
Reyna has been with Borussia Dortmund since January 2020 and is under contract until 2025, which would make it a more complicated transfer. However, Reyna is only 20 years old and has a bright future as a creative attacker who can play centrally or wide, ala Christian Eriksen. With 12 goals and 14 assists in his 93 appearances for the German club, he will continue to grow as a goal-creator.
The most likely Tottenham transfer signing – Weston McKennie
The US bossed the midfield against England on Friday, especially in the first half, and much of that work came from Weston McKennie. The Juventus midfielder could carry the ball between defenders on the dribble in a way, Spurs current midfield struggle to do outside of Rodrigo Bentancur.
Besides his ability to carry the ball, McKennie is relentless in working off the ball, which is something Spurs need more of in the side. Like Weah, McKennie’s greatest strength is his versatility as a midfielder, with the ability to play anywhere in a two-, three-, or four-man midfield.
As a Fabio Paratici signing at Juventus, McKennie is someone Spurs leadership is familiar with, and he has been linked with the team before. As a player who fits Conte’s relentless style and possesses some traits lacking within the current squad, a move for McKennie may make the most sense.