Why Tottenham should reignite their interest in Rodrigo de Paul

According to a previous report from Calciomercato (h/t Daily Mirror) during the summer, Tottenham Hotspur had been credited with an interest in Udinese winger Rodrigo de Paul. 

However, a move to the Premier League never really materialized for the Argentine international and the 25-year-old continued to ply his trade in the Italian Serie A. 

Having failed to sign a new player across two consecutive transfer windows, the Lilywhites went on to break their drought with a club-record deal for Tanguy Ndombele, while Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon also came through the door as long-term prospects. 

Indeed, Tottenham came out of their miserly habits to spend big this summer but all that investment is yet to pay off. Mauricio Pochettino currently finds himself under the cosh, following a string of disappointing results in the opening quarter of the campaign. 

In a twist of fate, the north Londoners currently find themselves languishing 14th in the standings.

Returns of 18 goals in 12 games look decent on paper but it is worth mentioning that four of those came in the 4-0 rout of Crystal Palace, meaning that the Lilywhites have only managed 14 goals in their other 11 league fixtures.  

Harry Kane, though far from his best, has still managed to rack up six goals in the Premier League but the other attackers in the side, most notably Heing-min Son and Lucas Moura have struggled to make a big impact so far. 

With Dele Alli enduring an injury-stricken start to the season and Erik Lamela struggling for consistency, Tottenham need to find a way to achieve a better goalscoring record. 

To that end, Tottenham going back in the market for Rodrigo de Paul in January could go a long way towards adding that much-needed cutting edge to their attack.

The 25-year-old, who rose to prominence with Racing Club in his homeland, registered 9 goals and 7 assists in 36 Serie A outings in the previous campaign. 

Having starred for Argentina at the 2019 Copa America in Brazil earlier in the summer, de Paul is yet to hit top gear at Udinese this season but he has still managed to score and assist once apiece in 8 league appearances. 

The 15-cap Argentine international has had somewhat of a slow start to the ongoing campaign but Spurs should start keeping tabs on his performances once again, with a view to a potential move in January. 

Verdict

Essentially profiled as a winger, de Paul is more than just a right-footed wide player capable of playing on both sides of the pitch. His versatility to slot into a No.10 role or even a deeper central midfield position makes him a valuable asset. 

As per whoscored, de Paul excels with his dribbling, set-piece ability and proficiency in setting up goals with key passes. 

With Christian Eriksen’s future uncertain and Giovani Lo Celso yet to settle down, Rodrigo de Paul could be a smart addition to Tottenham’s ranks.

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Plus, the prospect of working with his compatriot Pochettino could, in itself, be a luring factor as far as de Paul is concerned. 

With that in mind, Tottenham should be wise enough to reignite their interest in Rodrigo de Paul in January.