Why Issa Diop would be a solid signing for Tottenham

Jose Mourinho took over at Tottenham last month and has led the club to three wins in a row in all competitions. He is preparing for his first transfer window with the North London club and as the Telegraph suggests, the Portuguese tactician is keen to make two signings.

Mourinho is eyeing a back-up striker to Harry Kane and a defender to bolster his back-line. Spurs allowed Fernando Llorente to leave in the summer, with the likes of Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min providing support to Kane up front.

The Tottenham boss is also keen to strengthen a defence that has conceded 21 goals during the Premier League season so far, the report adds. With the futures of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen also uncertain, a new central defender is indeed required at the club.

Back in May, French defender Issa Diop told the Daily Mirror that he turned down Tottenham, Everton and Fulham to join West Ham.

Issa Diop, 22, joined West Ham from French club Toulouse in the summer of 2018 for a transfer fee worth £22m. After initial struggles, he enjoyed an impressive debut season with the Hammers and became indispensable to Manuel Pellegrini.

In fact, during United’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham last season, when Mourinho was in charge of the Red Devils, the Portuguese tactician congratulated the Hammers for scouting Diop and termed the defender a ‘monster’.

Even though Diop hasn’t had a great 2019/20 campaign so far with West Ham placed 13^th on the table, Mourinho should attempt to sign the Frenchman in the New Year.

Young, talented and with plenty of room for improvement in the years to come, Diop is right up there with the best up and coming centre-backs in the Premier League at the moment.

His massive potential means that the 22-year-old could well prove to be an incredible long-term investment for Spurs, who have been shipping goals at an alarming rate this season.

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Like most modern-day centre-backs, the Frenchman can pick a pass and does so brilliantly with an average of 83.1% pass success rate, which includes 1.6 long-balls and 38.7 passes per game in the league on an average.

He also averages 1.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 3.6 clearances and 0.5 blocks. [Courtesy: WhoScored.com] Those numbers do suggest Diop is a good tackler and can make some crucial interceptions for his team.

Verdict

Diop is a really promising centre-back and if Spurs manage to secure his services, they would not just have a defender but also a future leader.