It wasn’t long ago that Paulo Dybala was coveted as one of the biggest talents in world football, but last season he only managed five goals and four assists in 30 Serie A appearances for Juventus.
Reports are now suggesting that Spurs may look to make a bid for the Argentinian attacker and it could be a signing that would both rejuvenate Dybala and help Spurs reach the next level.
An all-round attacker
Dybala is an offensive player that has an impressive amount of tools – his 2.2 shots per 90 beats the likes of Dele Alli (1.6) and Lucas Moura (1.4).
His 1.7 key passes per 90 is only behind Christian Eriksen (2.1) in the current Spurs team, beating Dele Alli (1.1), Harry Kane (1.1), Son Heung-Min (1.1), Moussa Sissoko (0.9) and Lucas Moura (0.8).
Dybala is also a threat when he runs forward with the ball – he averages 1.7 dribbles per game and wins 2.2 fouls per game, a tally that ranks him on top of the whole Spurs squad, including Son Heung-Min (1.5 dribbles and 0.6 fouls), Lucas Moura (1.4 dribbles and 1.5 fouls), Harry Kane (1.4 dribbles and 1.9 fouls), Dele Alli (1.2 dribbles and 0.8 fouls) and Christian Eriksen (0.5 dribbles and 0.5 fouls).
An astute Eriksen replacement
Reports of Eriksen leaving Spurs have surrounded the North London club for the whole transfer window but as of right now Eriksen is still a Tottenham player.
The newest reports say that Manchester United are in the race for the Dane but would have to offer a fee in the region of £70m to tempt Spurs into selling their top assister for last season.
If Eriksen does leave, Dybala’s incredibly broad attacking skillset could bring a different dimension to Spurs.
Dybala started most of his games for Juventus in a central position – playing as a central striker 11 times and as an attacking midfielder six times.
The Argentinian could take that central attacking midfielder position that Spurs have often used when they’ve played in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 diamond.
Dybala could create an interesting partnership playing off of Spurs’ talisman, Harry Kane – similar to the partnership he created with Gonzalo Higuain at Juventus.
A proven winner
Spurs are still searching for their first trophy since the League Cup final in 2008 because of a 2-0 loss in last season’s Champions League final against Liverpool.
If they want to add experience in winning trophies to their team then signing Paulo Dybala makes perfect sense – since his move to Juventus from Palermo, he’s won four Serie A titles which includes three consecutive league and cup doubles.
If Spurs signed a talent like Dybala, it would certainly be a marquee signing that would signal their intent to fight for the biggest trophies in Europe.