This season, he’s been outstanding.
Tottenham, looking to January for extra choices, is now in the driver’s seat to recruit the star attacker from a European club.
Spurs have an injury problem
Spurs have gone through a turbulent seven days, and for well-liked new manager Ange Postecoglou, the international break couldn’t have come soon enough. Spurs have suffered a severe blow with the loss of both star playmaker James Maddison and defender Micky van de Ven, who are expected to be out until 2024.
Tottenham will have to make do without Maddison’s inventive spark and van de Ven’s lightning-fast acceleration; both players were greatly missed last Saturday as Postecoglou lost for the second straight Premier League game. The pair’s importance to Postecoglou was made abundantly clear by Spurs’ heartbreakingly disappointing and dramatic 2-1 loss to Wolves at Molineux, as replacements Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were unable to match their impact.
Maddison’s creativity in midfield was missed, which contributed to Spurs’ inability to establish themselves frequently enough in the final third. The Lilywhites did not appear to be playing at their most dominant level moving forward.
Tottenham takes the lead for Gudmundsson.
Although Postecoglou should have the England star back by January, Tottenham’s obvious lack of depth in important areas was made clear this past week, and Johan Lange, the new sporting director, will have the chance to add much-needed alternatives to star players during the winter transfer window.
La Repubblica reports that the Spurs are “in the front row” to recruit Genoa’s Albert Gudmundsson, according to Genova Today and Sport Witness. The Serie A team wants to lock down Gudmundsson with a new contract and stave off potential bidders, so they are aware of the growing interest from London, Roma, and Inter Milan.
The Iceland international can also fill Maddison’s role as a central attacking midfielder, which is intriguing. This comes following rumors that Postecoglou is eager to recruit a left-winger. This season, Gudmundsson has also frequently been used in a center role for Genoa, filling in as Mateo Retegui’s backup striker.
Under manager Alberto Gilardino, the 26-year-old has made 12 Serie A appearances and scored five goals. Kevin Strootman, a teammate, has been quite complimentary of his play.
Strootman told the publication Il Secolo XIX, “If he keeps getting better, he won’t stay at Genoa for long” (via Football Italia).
The way he periodically vanishes reminds me of Salah during his time at Roma. He would get four or five opportunities every game, and he would score at most one, much like Salah did back then.
“They used to think Salah would be playing for Liverpool if he was more clinical, and that’s precisely what happened. With all due humor, Gudmundsson is a fantastic player and a model professional.
Given his versatility, Gudmundsson is a great candidate to join Spurs.