Tottenham will face Manchester United on May 21 in the Europa League Final, but they will do so severely short-handed. Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and now Dejan Kulusevski have all suffered season-ending injuries, leaving Spurs without their main creative impetus in the attacking midfield.
All throughout the week, there's been speculation on what under-fire manager Ange Postcoglou will do in midfield in what is surely a must-win game with vital implications for the overall trajectory of Tottenham Hotspur.
In a recent press conference after Tottenham's latest loss, 2-0 to Aston Villa in the Premier League, Postecoglou had some praise for the young player he experimented as the No. 10 against Villa, summer 2024 signing Wilson Odobert, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:
Ange Postecoglou had some high praise after Aston Villa match
“I thought Wilson was good. The issue with Wilson is that he has just missed so much of the season. You can see he lacks match sharpness, but he is an intelligent player...I think with Wilson, at least we have got him some significant minutes again. With the way we are in that midfield area, he might be one we need to rely on come Wednesday, so it’s good for him to play.”
Odobert looks like he's going to be the No. 10 for Tottenham vs. Manchester United. He was one of the few bright spots in another below-average game against Villa, though Spurs weren't really trying to win and were more resting and experimenting.
The Frenchman passed his test, and there really isn't a better option in the 10 role. Odobert has the creativity, feel for the game, and, maybe most importantly, the dribbling skills in the hole behind the striker for this role.
What Odobert needs to do is what he did against Aston Villa this weekend, and that is to link up with the players around him and facilitate play in tight areas. Tottenham just need someone who can combine and string passes together with Mathys Tel, Son Heung-min, and Dominic Solanke in a Tottenham attack that, even with all the injuries, should still be better on paper than Manchester United's.
Odobert came to Tottenham last summer for 30 million pounds from Burnley as one of the Championship's best prospects, and he has a chance to already repay that fee by playing a role in Tottenham winning the Europa League. He's been unable to show what he can do due to injuries, but when he is on the pitch, you can tell that the young forward has what it takes to help Tottenham Hotspur. This is his time to shine.