The Ajax class of 2019 was all set to be torn apart last summer. With Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt leaving for Catalonia and Turin respectively, the club still managed to hold on to some of their other key players. One of them is youngster Donny van de Beek.
Hakim Ziyech’s agreement with Chelsea, alongside Andre Onana’s rumoured departure to Barcelona leaves Ajax with their last star – Donny van de Beek.
How Donny van de Beek Could Improve Tottenham
The Dutchman’s Current Situation
Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid all have joined the race to sign the midfielder. But Spurs lead the race as confirmed by the player’s agent, Guido Albers.
A catastrophic departure of Mauricio Pochettino and arrival of Jose Mourinho suggests the intentions of the North London club to go for glory. The Portuguese coach is a proven winner not only in England but in Italy, Portugal and Spain too.
History has been witness to the fact that Mourinho needs a particular set of personnel to achieve his kind of victories. Unfortunately, the Spurs lineup is still not compatible with Mourinho’s methods.
Tottenham’s Current woes
The defence is quite solid and the club has one of the best forwards in England. But the problem lies in the midfield.
Tottenham lost one of their most creative midfielders, Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan in January. Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn and Tanguy N’Dombele are still adapting to life in England. Eric Dier and Harry Winks have found a new lifeline under Mourinho but are still reviving from a year-long slack in form.
Also, Spurs’ most promising talent over the past few years, Dele Alli has vanished from the scene.
This leads to the mantle for creativity constantly falling on the club’s forwards. Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son have been consistently delivering, but to challenge for titles, the club needs more.
This is where the impact of van de Beek is of utmost need.
Van de Beek Could Revolutionise the Midfield
If the 23-year-old joins Spurs this summer, Mourinho would get a huge boost to his squad. Van de Beek is not just a creative midfielder, but also a highly technical player. This goes back to his years of youth training at the Mecca of Dutch football – Ajax.
A versatile playmaker who can play in any position right from the deeper positions to behind the striker. This solves Mourinho’s woes as Spurs’ stars are usually very prone to injuries and face a selection crisis very often.
Van de Beek also contributes a lot to the goal tally in any team and this will be needed as Tottenham’s midfield has seen a slump in goal-creation since Eriksen’s departure.
The recruitment of a player with so much talent would also boost the squad’s morale as the Londoners haven’t signed such a talked-about player despite being in the Champions League final last year.
One for the Future
A midfield trio of Van de Beek-Lo Celso-N’Dombele with Bergwijn rotating in and out of the first team will be one of the deadliest combinations for years to come. This is because all of them are very young but quite experienced.
Van de Beek is tipped to become one of the best midfielders in the coming decade, thanks to his exploits in the Champions League and if Spurs can get their hands on him this summer, it will be a big victory in itself.
Ajax has repeatedly confirmed that there will be no discounting of players’ transfer values despite the global pandemic. This means that Van de Beek’s fee could go upwards of €40-€50 million.
Will Spurs break their bank to get their man? Only time can tell. But one thing is for sure. Van de Beek could change any club’s fortunes by his arrival.
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