Four Players Tottenham Should Target to Help Solve Their Midfield Problems

It's fair to say that in Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs fans have a reason to be optimistic about the future, despite their domestic struggles in 2019.

The £55m man has teased his elite talent on several occasions this season and in recent weeks, he's shown how important he is to Mauricio Pochettino's side. Ndombele was the best player on the park when he came on against Liverpool at Anfield, and has generally impressed whenever he's taken to the pitch for Tottenham.

The Frenchman's variety and creativity in possession is unlike most central midfielders in Europe, while he makes breaking opposition lines look as simple as a three-yard pass.

Admittedly, his risk-taking and bravery while on the ball will get him into trouble a few times - as shown at the start of the second half on Sunday - and he's not exactly the most natural defender, although competent.

For Spurs to improve, there's no doubt that a defensive-minded, ball-winning midfielder is needed next to Ndombele. In Moussa Sissoko, they have a much-improved player overall with fantastic ball-carrying ability. Harry Winks is a brilliant ball-retainer with great tenacity and energy in the middle. Eric Dier they have a player who looks a shell of the player he once was and Victor Wanyama, well, the less we talk about him and his poor old knees the better.

Dier is the closest Spurs have to fitting the profile, but his display against Brighton last month highlighted the fact that he's not the answer.

Spurs are desperate for midfielder who can sit deep and protect the defence while also being comfortable in possession - here are some of the options that they should be targeting in the upcoming windows.

Ibrahim Sangare (Toulouse)

The 21-year-old has been compared to ex-Man City great Yaya Toure ever since he burst onto the scene as a teenager - his 6'3" build might have something to do with that.

Sangare has proven to be a fine defender and someone capable of sitting in front of the back four. His strength and size make him incredibly tough to beat 1v1 and going forward he's not too bad either.

In his debut season in Ligue 1, Sangare had the third-highest dribble success rate (81%) in the league - his ability to hold opposition players off and manipulate the ball in tight areas of the pitch is second to none. The Ivorian also possesses a tremendous passing range and he's more than capable of playing vertically between defensive lines.

Sangare is a raw talent and is a player that will have to be nurtured if he moves to the Premier League, however his unique skill-set for somebody of his size is rare and he has all the makings of a world-class defensive midfielder.

Denis Zakaria (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Zakaria is another player that dominates physically in the middle, while he's proven himself to be more than capable of linking play in a double pivot - boasting an 85% pass completion in the Bundesliga this season, just shy of his best in 2017/18 (90%).

The 22-year-old ticks a lot of boxes for Pochettino’s Spurs; tall, powerful and athletic, the 22-year-old is capable of breaking up play with his tremendous tackling and intercepting ability before using his natural composure to pick out a killer pass that can immediately put his side on the front foot.

The Swiss international enjoys picking the ball up from his centre-halves, carrying the ball and supplying his team’s flair players in the final third. To say he's a combination of Sissoko and Winks would be fair, but with Borussia Monchengladbach top of the Bundesliga, Spurs may have to wait until the summer for an approach to be considered.

Sander Berge (Genk)

The 21-year-old Norwegian has been applying his trade in Belgium since 2017, making 59 league appearances for Genk up to this point.

Berge's reading of the game and ability to sniff out danger are impressive for someone of his age - making 4.56 interceptions per 90 last season - while he's proven to be a very aggressive defender (in a good sense) as he likes to harry the opposition midfielders from behind when they're in the possession.

Berge is tidy on the ball - completing 91.3% of his passes last season - but he isn't necessarily a risk-taker, which is fine if you have someone like Ndombele beside you.

His dribbling, on the other hand, has been likened to former Spurs star Mousa Dembele. His build makes him very press-resistant, as he often uses his strength to beat a man. In Belgium last year, Berge made 2.3 progressive runs per 90 - a number that just comes short of Sissoko and Winks 2.4 dribbles per 90.

Berge certainly has flaws - he's not the most agile and he's not great 1v1 - but he's a player that will thrive alongside Ndombele in a double pivot. His ball-carrying ability along with his intelligence out of possession complement the Frenchman perfectly.

Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester)

The Nigerian has done a superb job in filling the void left by N'Golo Kante at Leicester, and is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

While in possession he looks awkward, defensively he's as good as it gets in Europe at the moment.

After leading the tackling charts for Europe's top five league's last season (143) at a 69% success rate, the 22-year-old currently leads the Premier League in both the tackle (53) and interception (32) metrics this season.

Since he joined Leicester, Ndidi has shown he can play in a double-pivot or a midfield three. The signing of Ndidi will take a large chunk out of Daniel Levy's budget, but he's a player that could transform this Spurs side instantly. Pochettino could slot him alongside Ndombele in a 4-2-3-1 or deploy him as the holder and have two creators ahead in a 4-3-3, the two being Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.

The only issue is: why would he want to leave Leicester for Spurs with the way things are shaping up at the moment?

Source : 90min