What Marten de Roon Can Offer Manchester City and Tottenham

Sometimes footballers can become as renowned for their social media activity as their performances on the pitch - take Marten de Roon, for example.

The Dutchman's self-depreciating tweets as he pokes fun at various pictures of himself have become a highlight of Atalanta's post-match reaction. Because of this, it's easy to forget that the midfielder is the lynchpin of one of the most entertaining sides in Europe.

The former Middlesbrough man's quality performances with Atalanta haven't gone unnoticed, leading to a number of European heavyweights lodging an interest in acquiring his services. 90min exclusively revealed recently that both Tottenham and Manchester City had added their names to the long list of potential suitors.

But what exactly could he bring to the pair as they look to mount a Premier League title charge? And should they be deterred by his underwhelming spell on Teesside in 2016/17?

When De Roon arrived at the Riverside shortly after the club had achieved promotion back to the top flight, he was seen as something of a marquee signing. However, his spell at the club never really took off as Boro suffered relegation back to the Championship.

So if he's that good, then why did Middlesbrough go down? Easy - in a way he was too good, and his success was ultimately his downfall.

De Roon's ability to breakup play is fantastic, though he can also provide a goal threat as well as producing lung-busting runs. But no team can expect one single player to do all of the aforementioned jobs - Boro did, and they ultimately blunted his main qualities.

At Atalanta, the midfielder is plying his trade alongside much better players than he played with at Boro, meaning he isn't asked to perform three jobs in one, and can concentrate on nullifying the threat caused by the opposition.

There isn't the expectancy that he's going to score ten goals a season, meaning he can focus on providing energy and grit in midfield.

He does still occasionally surge forward and look to support the attack - notching eight league goals in his three-and-a-half years back with Atalanta, though when you consider the free-scoring side have scored 260 Serie A goals in that time, you realise just what a small proportion he contributes.

The mooted interest of Manchester City may come as a shock to some. Pep Guardiola has always had a world class 'sitter' in midfield - whether it be Thiago or Sergio Busquets - something he's attempted to replicate with the purchase of Rodri at City.

However, the pursuit of De Roon may signal a slight change in ethos from the former Barça boss. City have found themselves chasing games with regularity in recent seasons, yet Rodri's inability to quicken his play has seen games pass them by.

While De Roon may not be as technically astute as the former Atletico Madrid man, he would offer an urgency and a drive that City's midfield has sorely lacked at times.

A move to Spurs makes a lot more sense on paper. Jose Mourinho has built his side around combative, energetic midfielders in Moussa Sissoko and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, yet with the former now 31 years of age, De Roon would represent a slightly more youthful option, as well as being able to carry a bigger goal threat - something which appears to have disappeared from the Frenchman's game.

It may look as though De Roon has been forced to rebuild his career after a pretty abject stint in the Premier League, though in truth he did absolutely nothing wrong on Teesside, leaving with the best wishes of the Middlesbrough faithful.

Now he's been given a more streamlined role in Serie A, he's proving what a fantastic player he can be, and in a Manchester City or Tottenham side packed with stellar names, he could prove to be a real hit in England.