Spurs should let Pochettino work miracles on £35.2m diamond in the rough - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Roma winger Cengiz Under ahead of a potential summer bid, per Gazzetta Giallo Rossa.

What’s the word?

The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the finest young players in European football in recent years and enjoyed a productive season with the Serie A club in 2018-19.

He scored six goals and laid on 11 assists in 33 games, helping the club to a sixth-placed finish.

A winger who can play on the left or the right, Under joined the club in 2017 for a fee of €13.4million (£11.8m) and is now valued at €40m (£35.2m).

Under is said to be keen on a move to the Premier League, with both Spurs and Arsenal making approaches to Roma over a possible deal.

The Italian club, as a result, are considering a swoop for Marseille winger Florian Thauvin as a potential replacement.

A diamond in the rough

A move for Under would, ironically, likely see Spurs replace Erik Lamela, the last player that they signed from Roma.

The Turkey international is young enough to be used sporadically, with manager Mauricio Pochettino likely to quietly develop his talents in the first season.

And his stats prove that he could well become an elite winger in the future.

Under, per WhoScored, averages 1.5 shots per game in Serie A, as well as 1.2 key passes, while he draws 1.1 fouls.

The youngster is raw, though, and he also averages 1.5 unsuccessful touches and a pass completion rate of 77.9%.

His defensive contribution is negligible, too, as he makes just 0.2 tackles per game and 0.5 interceptions.

Pochettino has worked miracles on players in the past though – just ask Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura – and that could be repeated with Under next season.

from FootballFanCast.com http://bit.ly/2HKactq