Dutch starlet Memphis Depay has recently been heavily linked with a move to England, with Spurs thought to be leading the race for the PSV winger. Manchester United are also thought to be interested in Depay, who scored twice in the World Cup for Netherlands. However PSV seem keen to keep the 20 year old, who clearly has a massive future ahead of him and as such have recently tied him down to a long-term deal. However, as we know all too well in modern football, this does not mean that Depay will not soon be on his way.
Depay came through the youth setup at PSV, before making his debut for the first team when he was aged just 17. He was played sporadically at first, a backup to the first team. But at the beginning of the 2013/14 season, he stepped up to become a first team regular. Playing 32 league games for the Eredivisie side and scoring 12 goals, he earned a call-up to Louis Van Gaal’s World Cup squad. In the group stages Depay came off the bench twice for Netherlands, scoring on both occasions. After the competition he was the subject of heavy interest, from top sides from various countries around the world; ,mainly England, and Tottemham Hotspur in particular.
Hailed as the Dutch Ronaldo, Depay is most suited to play on the left wing. This way he’s able to mix his electrifying pace with amazing dribbling and ball control skills to cut inside onto his favoured right foot and devastate defences. He possesses wonderful technical ability, which means he has been a nightmare for Dutch defences to face in the past. Arguably his best trait however is his fearlessness and determination down the flanks, which gives the full backs a very tough game.
In his breakthrough season for PSV last year, he set the league alight scoring 12 goals; the second highest in the team. 7 of these goals were struck from outside the area, as his long shots are extremely impressive. In the past he has scored some absolute wonder-goals for club and country. His technique when striking the ball is superb, hence why he is PSV’s free kick taker, of which he scored some last term. He’s not afraid to shoot from distance, as he averaged 5.1 shots per game last season. Depay also created an impressive 86 chances, 36 more than any other PSV player. He’s made an incredible start to this season too, scoring 5 goals in 3 games. Again, 2 of them superb strikes from long range.
In terms of fitting in at Tottenham, he would be perfect in my opinion. Mauricio Pochettino has been playing the 4-2-3-1 formation since his arrival at Spurs, and Depay would be perfect to play in any of the three attacking midfielders. If he was to be played on the left, then he can naturally drift in field, but he could be better off playing directly behind the striker. This way he gets the chance to shoot from range, and to run directly at the defensive line. He hasn’t been played here before, but at Spurs could be given this chance. The versatility of Lamela, Eriksen and Depay could lead to a formidable trio as they all can play on the left, central or the right.
The signing would also benefit Spurs in the long run, as he is only 20 years old. He has got an amazing future in the game, and is one of the worlds best youngsters in the game. He will be a very shrewd signing for Spurs, if Pochettino and Levy could persuade Depay to join the North London team.
Where do you think Memphis Depay will eventually end up? Will he soon move from PSV to the Premier League and to Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @TBRFootball .