GENK, BELGIUM - NOVEMBER 03: Sander Berge and Mats Rits fight for the ball during the Jupiler Pro League match between KRC Genk and Club Brugge at Cristal Arena on November 3, 2018 in Genk, Belgium. (Photo by Johan Eyckens/Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images)
Tottenham want to complete midfield overhaul in January
Tottenham don’t have the money to buy established world-class stars, but Mauricio Pochettino has his sights set on a young midfielder with huge potential.
Mauricio Pochettino’s project at Tottenham would be much simpler if he could buy ready-made stars in the transfer market. Unfortunately, those players are out of the financial reach of the North London club. That doesn’t mean Spurs won’t make major moves in January though.
In fact, Pochettino already has Tottenham leading the race to sign a very promising young midfielder when the winter transfer window opens. Sander Berge may not be ready to step right into the club’s starting XI, but regular observers of Genk believe he has star potential. Spurs want to purchase him before he has the opportunity to really show the entire continent what a player he can become.
Reports emanating from England claim that Tottenham have been keeping tabs on Berge since he was 16-years-old. He’s now 20 and playing regular football for Genk’s first team. In fact, several of his top performances this year have come when starting in his club’s Europa League campaign.
The versatile midfielder already had 12 caps for Norway, but the fact that he missed over half of last season with injury has suppressed his potential transfer price. Tottenham may be able to bring him over in January for a bargain price of £20 million.
In many ways, Berge could serve as a like for like replacement for Mousa Dembele. He isn’t quite the defender the Belgian veteran is, but he shows more ability to go forward and create chances with the ball at his feet. In fairness, Berge may be better suited to play in a three-man midfield than a double-pivot. Signing him could be an additional sign that Pochettino wants to shift Tottenham further towards a regular 4-3-3 formation.
The real question is whether or not Tottenham can push a deal for Berge over the line before many of their Premier League competitors get involved. The likes of West Ham and Arsenal have already dispatched scouts to watch Berge play for club and country. It’s very possible one of those sides could try to push the price up on Daniel Levy and company.
Berge isn’t Tottenham’s only January target in the midfield, but he might be the starlet with the highest potential ceiling. Spurs would do well to reel him in for anything less than £20 million.
