Tottenham confirmed their second deal of the summer transfer window on Sunday, with the acquisition of Nacer Chadli from Dutch club FC Twente. The versatile 23-year-old Belgian joins up at White Hart Lane on a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £7m and follows Paulinho to the club, as Andre Villas-Boas bolsters his midfield options for the season ahead.
The Spurs boss was clearly delighted to announce the deal yesterday, with the new boy already joining his team mates for training ahead of tomorrow’s Barclays Asia Trophy match against Sunderland in Hong Kong:
“Nacer Chadli is a player that we have been following for quite some time and we managed to strike the deal in these last days. So we’re pretty happy. As a player he is extremely versatile, playing different positions up front. He has played with tremendous success on the left for Twente as a winger and as an attacker for Belgium.”
The History
Chadli’s youth career spanned across three Belgian clubs, including Standard Liege, but his big break arrived in 2007 courtesy of Dutch second division outfit AGOVV Apeldoorn. He spent a total of three seasons at the club and, having produced 11 goals and nine assists over 52 appearances in his first couple of years, stepped up a level with 17 goals and 11 assists from 37 games in 2009/10.
Snapped up by FC Twente in the summer of 2010, Chadli immediately became a key member of the first-team. His first two years at the club harvested 13 goals and 11 assists from 56 Eredivisie matches before he once again improved during his third season, with 12 goals and five assists from 26 games (including play-off matches). The Belgian also chipped in with six goals and six assists in 10 Europa League matches in 2012/13, a sign of his flourishing eye for goal. On the international stage, Chadli has turned out for his country on 14 occasions and has found the net twice.
The Prospects
Predominantly right-footed, Chadli’s adaptability means he can be fielded anywhere across the forward line, though his preferred position is on the left as an inverted winger, cutting inside onto his stronger foot. Standing six foot two, his strength, pace and trickery down the flank, allied with a penchant for a long shot, could well see the Belgian quickly nail down a starting role in Villas-Boas’ first-team.
Far more significantly, his acquisition could be key to how we assess Gareth Bale’s likely position in the season ahead. The signing of Paulinho earlier this summer had suggested Villas-Boas was primed to move to a 4-3-3 with the Welshman on the flank but it now seems more likely that Chadli’s arrival will ensure Bale remains in the central slot behind a lone forward in a 4-2-3-1. Villas-Boas has utilised the likes of Clint Dempsey, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Lewis Holtby on the left last term in order to play Bale in “the hole” but none of the trio offered the speed of Bale or, indeed, Aaron Lennon on the opposite flank – a problem for Villas-Boas, given how crucial the idea of quick transitions are to his tactical approach.
Yet to be added to the Fantasy games, it’s likely that Chadli will come in around the 7.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – putting him on a par with Lennon and Dempsey, and just slightly more than Sigurdsson and Paulinho at 7.0 apiece. Providing Bale keeps the central role, the Welshman looks almost essential after racking up 14 sets of double figures last time out but a hugely enticing run of fixtures could also bring the Belgian into contention from the off. With Palace, Swansea, Norwich, Cardiff, West Ham, Villa and Hull in seven of the first nine Gameweeks, doubling up on the pair could be a viable tactic for those who feel the idea of “coverage” is somewhat over-rated.
10 years, 9 months agoSometimes I wonder if they shouldn't open the game up nearer the start of the season. I'm getting bored of this season already, and it hasn't even started. Overdosed on speculation.