It was a man they wanted back when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge, but it appears Tottenham could finally be set to land Geoffrey Kondogbia this summer.
With the current situation affecting the world taking its toll on football clubs too, Spanish giants Valencia appear to be hit harder than most. According to French publication Foot Mercato, their failure to qualify for the Champions League next season, and deepening financial problems, are set to lead to a major firesale of players.
The report claims that Kondogbia is one of the names who is likely to be shown the exit door, and Foot Mercato claim both Spurs and Premier League rivals Manchester United have a keen eye on the midfielder.
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It was suggested back in the summer of 2018, that the Lilywhites were interested in Kondogbia, but a deal failed to materialise. But now, two years later, Daniel Levy has the perfect chance to sign the 6 foot 2 man, at a likely lower cost than it would have taken before.
And when you look at the kind of player Spurs would be getting, it seems like it could be one of the smartest signings of the window. Strong and physical, Kondogbia also has very impressive technical ability too, almost in the mould of former Lilywhites favourite Mousa Dembele.
Both are left-footed, and have this natural gift at gliding past players with ease when in their stride. Kondogbia has a career average of 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst Dembele is at 2.4. The duo are also equally capable of getting off a shot on goal, with the former averaging one per match, and the latter 0.8.
With his physicality and height, Kondogbia does seem like the archetypal midfielder Mourinho loves to sign – you only have to look at how he brought Nemanja Matic to Chelsea, and then to Manchester United in his time in charge of both clubs.
And now both Levy and Mourinho could be set to profit thanks to Valencia’s problems.
