Tottenham: Deal close for winger; midfielder pledges to stay; target has low release clause

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After securing the signing of striker Vincent Janssen last week, Tottenham Hotspur look as if they will be adding more attacking talent to their squad, and are in advanced negotiations with Marseilles over an £11 million deal for winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

N’Koudou only joined Marseilles from Nantes last summer, but the financial position of the French club means that he could be following Michy Batshuayi out of the door of the Stade Velodrome. He scored five times in Ligue 1 last season, and has been capped six times by France’s excellent under-21s team, but he still remains a raw and exciting talent.

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He has been compared to West Ham winger Dimitri Payet by some, but N’Koudou is still some way off that level. However, he is a versatile, hard working player who would add plenty of variety to Tottenham’s attacking options. He may not be ready to walk into the first team yet, but he has plenty of pace and ability on the ball, and at 21, has plenty of time to improve his physicality for the Premier League. In today’s inflated transfer market, £11 million represents a fairly good deal for a long term option for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Tottenham are certainly a little short of options in attack at the moment, especially with a Champions League campaign on the horizon, so it is no surprise that they have been linked with more attackers, and one of those is Mainz midfielder Yunus Malli.

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Spurs identified Malli as an alternative to Georginio Wijnaldum, who now looks more likely to go to Liverpool, and they have received a boost in their pursuit of the Turkish international after it was revealed that he has a release clause of just €10 million.

Malli scored an impressive 11 Bundesliga goals last season, helping Mainz finish sixth in the league and helping them into the Europa League group stages for the first time in their history. As their star man, he works hard and creates chances, and for around £8 million, would be an absolute steal as Spurs look to bulk out their squad ahead of their Champions League campaign.

Whether Pochettino sees him as a regular or not, this is a deal that Spurs should get done as soon as possible, because it is very rare to find a player of Malli’s quality for such a cheap price.

Finally, Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason has vowed to remain at the club and fight for his place in the team. Mason broke into the Tottenham team in 2014, but a series of injuries saw him out of the side, and the impressive form of the up and coming Dele Alli and the powerhouse of Mousa Dembele made it impossible for Mason to get back into the team.

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With Hull City and Bournemouth interested, it is brave of Mason to try and remain at Spurs and fight for first team football, but he would be much better off plying his trade away from White Hart Lane. He is a solid and dependable back up, but not up to Champions League quality, and could do a great job for a team like Hull or Bournemouth.

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