Tottenham keen on a January swoop for Club Brugge left-back Maxim de Cuyper
Despite Tottenham Hotspur’s emphatic 5-0 slaughtering of basement club Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
The shine of the Lilywhites’ big win at the St Mary’s Stadium was taken away slightly by Destiny Udogie’s first-half injury. Udogie was forced off the field with Ange Postecoglou confirming it to be a tight quad. While the Italian’s substitution was to prevent it from aggravating, Spurs cannot afford to let go of another transfer window without addressing the left-back position.
According to an exclusive report from TBR Football, Tottenham are among the host of clubs to have scouted Club Brugge left-back Maxim de Cuyper.
Destiny Udogie was forced off in the first half against Southampton with a quad problem
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Maxim de Cuyper has been a standout performer for Club Brugge this season. The left-back, who has already earned six caps for Belgium, has scored once and registered four assists in 24 appearances this season for Club Brugge, demonstrating his attacking prowess. He is not slouch defensively either, with the Belgian more than capable of making important interceptions and tackles.
While primarily a left-back, De Cuyper is equally capable of playing as a left midfielder or winger, offering tactical flexibility that could be invaluable to Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs. The left-back area has been a concern for Postecoglou.
With the veteran Ben Davies into the final six months of his contract and used mostly as an emergency centre-back by Postecoglou, Udogie has had to cover most of Tottenham’s games from the left-back position. Now, with Udogie expected to miss a couple of games as a precautionary measure to avoid a quad problem and Davies already sidelined, the North Londoners don’t have a fit left-back right now.
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Thus, De Cuyper’s signing would make a lot of sense for the club. At 23, the six-cap Belgium international is still not the finished article and would improve with the right coaching and guidance.
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Under Big Ange, he can perform the inverted full-back’s role to great effect and take his overall game to another level. Plus, the Knokke-Heist-born talent will be an exciting option to cover and challenge Udogie for a spot in Big Ange’s first XI at the Hotspur Way. However, the aforementioned report adds both Arsenal and Manchester City are working on a deal to sign De Cuyper.
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That said, if Tottenham is seriously interested in De Cuyper, we must start making plans to sign him from Club Brugge next month.