Dybala worth breaking the bank for as Tottenham consider club-record move
It’s a deal that will be hard to complete, but one that, should Tottenham get over the line, will be one of the signings of the window. Having already broken their club-record transfer to land Tanguy Ndombele earlier this summer, if reports are to be believed, Spurs are working hard to do so again.
Paulo Dybala endured a difficult season with Juventus. The Argentine was the primary attacking casualty of Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Turin, with the Argentine dropped as the club’s main man in the final third. Indeed, Dybala netted just five goals and registered four assists for the Old Lady last season, a disappointing return no matter of Ronaldo’s arrival for a Juventus side that netted 70 times last season.
The 25-year-old is now believed to be considering his future in Turin and as one might expect, interest for Dybala would be high if Juventus are prepared to cash in on the £80m-rated star. Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettinho has previously lavished praise on his compatriot, in 2018 stating: “It’s always nice to play against the best in the world. I put Dybala in that category.”
Pochettino made his declaration for the forward ahead of Spurs’ Champions League second leg meeting with Juventus, a game that Dybala ultimately scored the winning goal in to send the Italian powerhouse into the next round of the competition. If a deal can be struck, then Pochettino is one who’ll likely sanction his arrival.
Even after such an underwhelming season, Dybala is one worth breaking the bank for. He has previousled proved when the main man and not moved away from his favoured position, he can shine. You only have to look at the fact that, the campaign prior to Ronaldo’s arrival, the Argentina international netted 22 goals and provided a further five assists for Juventus where he played predominantly behind Gonzalo Higuain in the number 10 role.
Last season, though, former boss Max Allegri largely strayed away from a 4-2-3-1 setup to a 4-3-3 system and it saw Dybala’s form dip, with his WhoScored rating reflecting that as it dropped considerably from 7.77 to 7.08. It’s no coincidence, however, that Dybala’s best performances again came when he started behind the striker with his WhoScored rating when starting as a number 10 (7.56) his best of his three starting positions.
Pochettino is a manager whose system is largely dependent on at least one player operating behind the frontman, be it in a 4-2-3-1, a 3-4-1-2 or a 4-3-1-2 formation. That role is largely dependent on his options in midfield, be it deeper or in behind the frontmen, and it’s a position that Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli would compete for and with the former linked with a move away from Tottenham as he enters the final year of his contract, it’s feasible to suggest Dybala would come in as a replacement for the Dane.
The two have a differing style of attacking, with Eriksen offering more off the ball, but if Spurs are able to cash in on the Denmark international, then Spurs could still make moves for Dybala and Giovani Lo Celso, with the latter another linked with a big money summer switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The latest eight-year shirt sponsorship deal with AIA that was announced on Thursday is thought to be worth £360m and is believed to be the third biggest of its kind in the Premier League, so the money is there to be spent to improve the squad between now and the August 8th transfer deadline.
What’s key with Dybala is that he affords Pochettino attacking flexibility with his compatriot able to play both in the number 10 role and as a striker, so the Spurs boss could continue with the 4-3-1-2 setup that served him well last season. Ndombele provides additional thrust from deep and the Frenchman’s goal contribution from open play, despite performing in a central midfield berth, will serve as a boost for the team.
If Dybala is brought in - and it’s worth stressing that’s a huge ‘if’ at present with Manchester United also keen on the Juventus man - then Pochettino would have four top class frontline options in Dybala, Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura. Kane is an immediate starter, of that there is no doubt, but should Dybala make the switch to London, then it’ll allow the Spurs vice-captain to operate closer to the opposition box to maximise a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘finishing’.
Kane is prone to dropping deep to linking up with the midfield, he himself having started his career as a number 10 rather than an out-and-out number 9, but even here; Dybala and Spurs could thrive and the attacking unpredictability would make the north London side one of the most devastating offensive sides in England.
Other reports claim Dybala is eager to remain in Italy and fight for his place at Juventus, but with newly-appointed head coach Maurizio Sarri preferring a 4-3-3 system, it’ll limit the forward from playing in his favoured starting role in Turin. Should Spurs get this deal over the line, however, then it’ll be one of the transfers of the summer and send out a message to their rivals that they mean serious business in their push for silverware.
