Gotta say, this whole Tottenham Hotspur transfer window is starting to stink of desperation and Danish oil, but at least we’re getting SOME rumors out of it here in waning days of the window. The latest
is this from Miguel Delaney in the Independent: Tottenham are considering making a move for former Aston Villa right wing Moussa Diaby, currently at Saudi Premier League club Al-Ittihad.
This is where I really miss the advanced statistics that FBRef used to offer all of us plebians for free, since I no longer am able to rely on my knowledge of Green Bars to see what Diaby could offer Spurs. RIP. Alas, we soldier on — Diaby had a breakout season with Villa a couple of years ago and the Villains promptly cashed in when Saudi Arabia came calling, selling him for £50m 18 months ago. Diaby is apparently ready to leave the Kingdom, and while Inter Milan is seen as being the closest to striking a deal, Delaney says there’s an opening for Spurs to hijack if they decide this is their guy to reinforce the squad.
I’m not going to pretend that I’ve watched Diaby at all at Al-Ittihad, but I do remember him from his Villa days, and he’s a fun player. He’s a speedster, a left-footed right winger primarily known for his ability to run in behind the line from the wing, something that’s a pretty useful skill to have. If you read that and think We literally just sold Brennan Johnson who did that well you’re not wrong, but that was Brennan’s only valuable skill, whereas Diaby can do other stuff too — he can actually dribble a guy for one thing and has a pretty good finish on him, and he knows how to find his teammates. Last season he had 5 goals and 14 assists for Al-Ittihad and in his one season with Villa he ended up with 6G+8A. Not too shabby. If Spurs are looking for a real option to play in place of Mohammed Kudus and maybe even play ahead of him, Diaby’s a decent option, especially in January.
The thought is that although Inter seem to be ahead of this transfer, Diaby might prefer a return to England, and especially to a Premier League team still in the Champions League (even if it’s unlikely Spurs will be playing there next season). Delaney doesn’t say how much it would cost to pry him out of Saudi Arabia, but I’d feel pretty confident they could offer more than whatever it is Inter is offering. Diaby also wants to try and make France’s World Cup squad and he’ll have a bigger platform at Spurs than he would staying with Al-Ittihad.
I don’t hate this. While this doesn’t scream “this is a plan,” at this point I think Spurs just need good options that aren’t injured and that might improve the team in the short term. Diaby’s 26 so he’s probably at or near his peak, but he could offer something that’s not very apparent in the team right now. I’d take him. Let’s see if Spurs, and Diaby, agree.
