Tottenham Opinion: Would Erik Durm be a good fit for Spurs?
It has been a challenging few days for Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham Hotspur. Losses to Burnley and Chelsea have all but ended Tottenham’s hopes of competing for the Premier League title, and now they are looking to finish in the top four.
Pochettino has been time and again recognised for his fine work at Tottenham but trophies continue to elude him. The Argentine needs to win silverware and for that, he needs to have a very strong squad.
After firing blank in the past two transfer windows, Pochettino needs to persuade the board to spend big on players this summer to realistically challenge for the title in the 2019/20 campaign. One of the areas he needs to address is the right-back department.
Kieran Tripper has been astonishingly poor this season after arriving from an excellent World Cup campaign with England. Trippier had a moment to forget earlier this week when he inadvertently netted a remarkable own goal in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The Englishman’s deputy at right-back, Serge Aurier, continues to frustrate with inconsistent displays. Aurier’s form this season for Spurs has been patchy at best and that must represent a cause of concern for Pochettino.
Some firm competition for Trippier and Aurier is a necessity on current form. To put things into perspective, Tottenham should target Huddersfield Town star Erik Durm this summer.
Erik Durm, 26, was signed by former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The full-back has been very unfortunate with injuries in the past but he has looked solid in the Premier League despite the Terriers leaking a lot of goals and lying at the bottom of the table.
Huddersfield’s relegation would make Tottenham’s chances of acquiring Durm’s services relatively easier in the summer. And as things stand, the Terriers are very likely to stay in the top-flight despite their morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Wolves earlier this week.
In Durm, Pochettino would get a highly versatile player who can play at right-back, left-back, right-midfield and left-midfield. The seven-cap German international is a clever player, known for his positional sense and reading of the game.
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The 2014 World Cup winner isn’t a speed demon but has the burst of pace to get past his marker and deliver a teasing cross into the box.
Conclusion
Some serious competition is indeed required at right-back for Tripper and Aurier, and Durm could just be the ideal candidate to provide that. The German is experienced and would give Pochettino the tactical flexibility required in tricky games as well.