With the return to the UEFA Champions League and the hiring of a world-renowned coach in Antonio Conte, Tottenham are a big fish again. The glorious new stadium and a team filled with excellent forward players has many players keen to join the Conte revolution in North London. However, one player who seemed too far out of reach even for Conte was Paulo Dybala. The Argentine is on a free contract, and has naturally attracted interest from all across world football due to his previous exploits.
So far, he has yet to agree a new deal with another club and thus could be picked up for just wages and a signing on fee. While both fee and wages would be huge, Dybala is regarded as among the best players in the world. Whoever manages to land him will be picking up one of the foremost exciting players in the world. Spurs, though, always felt like they were outsiders to make that deal happen.
However, reports suggest that he is no closer to finding an agreement with a team in Italy. His preferred choice was to remain in Serie A, but budgetary issues at Inter mean he is unlikely to arrive there. Roma are also keen, but are seen as a long shot due to their lack of UCL football. Spurs can offer a chance to unite with a coach Dybala is known to rate very highly, play in Europe, and live in London.
Given his long-term ties to Juventus, a move to Inter always seemed a strange choice. Moving to Spurs means no bridges would be burned in Italy, leaving La Joya with a chance to go back there in time. Spurs, though, would be able to offer something different – and likely a massive pay packet, too.
Would Dybala fit in with the Antonio Conte system?
The primary concern would be putting Dybala on the kind of deal that might put noses out of joint. Star forward duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min are both on excellent pays. However, Dybala would likely command a wage beyond what they are on. Add in the stylistic fit of how Dybala would play in the likely 3-5-2/3-4-3 system that Conte employs, and would he work as part of the team?
Might he find himself moving into the same spots and spaces as Kane and Son? And would it be fair on Dejan Kulusevski, who has begun his Spurs career with a bang, to have him pushed onto the bench?
Spurs would need to work out if Dybala is a signing they need, or simply one that seems too good to say no to. This project is very delicate, and one wrong move could derail the whole thing. While Dybala is a special player, the fears he might not mesh with the forward duo – or that the shape has to change to accommodate him – is a fair worry.
Rumours linking Dybala to Spurs are naturally very exciting. Like many football transfers, though, the reality of how it would work outside of a team sheet would be a little more complex.
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