Reports have surfaced this week that Tottenham are confident of signing winger Kevin Mirallas from Everton in the summer. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is apparently a big admirer and is hopeful he can entice him to White Hart Lane for next season. Pochettino is in desperate need for more quality out wide and could have a crucial bargaining chip at his disposal. With Aaron Lennon enjoying a resurgence on loan on the blue side of Merseyside, if the two players were to switch clubs it could be a deal that suits both parties.
Source: evertonfc.com
Only Nacer Chadli has helped Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen to carry the goal load this season. Despite an inconsistent season that was broken up due to the unfortunate death of his father, Chadli has scored 9 goals and provided 5 assists so far in the Premier League. Other wide options Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend have each only scored a single goal from open play and set up 6 and 2 goals respectively. Both have been mostly ineffective.
Townsend has tremendous athleticism but struggles to make up his mind once he surges past his marker. Lamela has shown flashes of brilliance to set up teammates but has difficulty imposing himself on games. Tottenham need a player out wide who can combine the best of both worlds. Kevin Mirallas could be one such man.
It’s easy to see why Pochettino wants to add Mirallas to his Spurs squad. A direct runner and skilled dribbler with bags of pace, the Belgian loves to take defenders on. Tottenham have been crying out for someone with this ability all season long. He is equally adept at creating the width for his teammates or cutting inside to take a chance for himself. Although right footed, he is incredibly versatile and can play on either flank or even in behind the striker.
Mirallas is also a threat at set pieces and an effective corner taker, something which the current squad lacks. He is a hard worker on both sides of the ball and should fit well into Pochettino’s high energy pressing game. He can create opportunities for others or score himself. He ticks a lot of boxes.
Mirallas been in and out of the Everton first team this season. Part of that is due to injuries but he appeared to fall out with manager Roberto Martínez. However, he has still been productive. He has scored 6 goals in 24 league games. His creation numbers have slipped from last term but that can be put down to the entire Everton team underperforming for most of the campaign. He only has a single assist, with a further 15 chances created.
Last season is a better measure of his ability. He scored 8 goals in 32 games and set up another 8 for teammates. Most importantly he created 61 chances, vastly more than any other Everton player.
The capture of Kevin Mirallas might not be the most exciting summer transfer but it would be a very smart move on Tottenham’s part. If Everton want Aaron Lennon to move permanently, it shouldn’t be an expensive process to pull Mirallas the other way. He’s a player that not only fits the ethos of the manager’s game plan but offers something that is sorely lacking in his current squad.
Source: evertonfc.com
As Spurs have learned in the past couple of years, Premier League experience is something that shouldn’t be overlooked and Mirallas passes that test with his 3 great years in England. It might not be the kind of exhilarating transfer that supporters crave. But snapping up Mirallas early in what is looking likely to be a very busy transfer window, might just be the best piece of business Tottenham do all summer.
Lachlan McIvor
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