In addition to landing Mousa Sissoko from Newcastle, Tottenham also confirmed a deadline day deal to bring Marseille winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou to White Hart Lane for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £9 million.
After penning a five-year contract, the 21-year-old
“I did score quite a few goals last season but scoring goals myself or assisting my team-mates is the same for me. When I enter the pitch I just want to play well, put on a good performance, listen to what people can teach me and show my strengths within the team in order to get better… I’ve always had my explosiveness and speed. I’ve kept these qualities and I can’t wait to show them on the pitch.”
The History
Born in Versailles, France, Nkoudou spent time during his youth career at Petits Anges, EST Solitaire Paris, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Boulogne Billancourt, before joining Ligue 1 outfit Nantes at the age of 16.
It was there where he made his professional debut, coming on as a late substitute in a goalless draw against Bastia in August 2013. Nkoudou made six league appearances in total during the 2013/14 campaign, but failed to register any attacking returns.
The 2014/15 season saw the winger firmly establish himself in the first-team squad, featuring in 28 league matches, scoring two goals and providing two assists, playing predominantly on the left wing.
In June last year, Nkoudou completed a £1 million move to Marseille, where his development continued apace. He totalled five goals and three assists from 28 league outings, while he also managed four goals and two assists in seven Europa League appearances.
Nkoudou has represented France at Under 17, Under 19, Under 20 and Under 21 levels, scoring two goals in 12 matches, but has yet to earn a call-up to the senior squad.
The Prospects
With Nkoudou possessing lightening pace, supreme dribbling ability and plenty of skills and tricks, he’ll certainly provide Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino with a different option in the wide positions.
The Argentine is a firm devotee of the 4-2-3-1 system, so Nkoudou will be battling it out with Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Sissoko and Josh Onomah for a place in the starting XI.
Eriksen and Nkoudou look earmarked as the main options on the left of the three attacking midfield positions, with Lamela, Sissoko and Onomah on the right, although Sissoko could also see some action in the double-pivot.
Looking at the underlying statistics of Eriksen, Lamela, Sissoko and Nkoudou last season, it was Eriksen who led the quartet for both goal attempts (one every 30.7 minutes), and key passes (one every 26.9 minutes).
By comparison, Nkoudou averaged a shot every 45.1 minutes, and a key pass every 83 minutes. Those numbers aren’t particularly impressive, then, but it must be remembered the Frenchman is still in his formative years and his decision-making in the final third should improve as he gains more first-team experience.
As already referenced in our Moving Target report on Moussa Sissoko, Pochettino had talked of the need to add more pace and thrust to his side, and in the former Newcastle player and Nkoudou, he looks to have addressed that issue.
It appears the former Marseille man may be slowly eased into action by the Argentine, though, with Nkoudou used off the bench against tiring defences as he acclimatises to English football.
The strength in depth Pochettino now has for the front four positions, with Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen to also consider, means we can expect to see players minutes managed better during the final stages of matches and potentially around Champions League encounters.
Nkoudou has been handed a valuation of 7.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), which considering Lamela is available for just 0.1 more, looks a little expensive.
The Frenchman certainly looks a real talent, but with regular starts appearing unlikely, certainly during the first half of the campaign, the chances of him coming onto our radars appear slim.
Tottenham’s fixtures (sto, SUN, mid, MCI, wba, bou) are pretty favourable over the coming period, but with a lack of form for the likes of Kane and Alli, and with rotation expected once the Champions League group stage gets under way later this month, it’s difficult to fully trust any of their attacking assets.
That will certainly be a frustration to Fantasy managers who last season could rely on a consistent selection from Pochettino, but there’s little doubt the additions of Nkoudou and Sissoko should enable Spurs to compete on all front this time out, and help avoid the burnout we saw at the tail end of the 2015/16 campaign.
Further Reference
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou Wikipedia
