Who on Earth is Georges-Kévin N’Koudou?

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Spurs aren’t messing around, it seems. After Vincent Janssen finally pushed his head through the neckhole of a Lilywhite jersey last Tuesday and smiled for the cameras, it looks as if the North London club are close to announcing their second signing in little over a week. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing, Georges-Kévin N’Koudou.

Unless you’re a keen student of Ligue 1, it’s likely the name will nothing to you. Even some sections of our nation’s press have been fumbling in the dark when invited to detail the 21-year-old’s finer points as a player. One outlet suggested he might be the next Dimitri Payet, or, on the other hand, he might not.

Indeed, N’Koudou was seen as the man to replace the Euro 2016 star at the Veledrome last summer. With Payet’s departure to East London, a sizeable creative rift was left in the French club’s midfield, which, after an initial slow burn, the young Prince of Versailles made a good fist of occupying. 5 goals and 3 assists in a breakthrough campaign might be some distance short of Payet’s figures in his final season at Marseille— 7 goals and 16 assists— it still represented a promising return.

So where does he fit in at Spurs? Having a fairly limited supply of traditional wingers on their books, but often a side whom operate with advanced wide-forwards, it’s likely he’ll challenge Son Heung-min on the left-side of Spurs’ high-pressing midfield. An area occupied for much of last season by Christian Eriksen. The Dane, meanwhile, is expected to be redeployed into his preferred attacking central-midfield role, where he can exert more influence.

Being two-footed, and, presumably anticipated to make more of an impact than Clinton N’Jie managed in his maiden venture as a Spurs player, it won’t be too much of a surprise to see N’Koudou providing cover for Erik Lamela on the right-side of midfield. Presuming no more like-minded signings are made, or any souls are cast adrift, it’ll be Chadli, Son, Lamela and N’Koudou competing for those two wide-forward/midfield starting berths.

Of course it’s probable that, like N’Jie, N’Koudou won’t be out-of-the-box ready for Premier League life come August; at such a young age, unaccustomed to the pace and physicality of the nation’s top division, it’ll take a period of adjustment before he can be thrown into the action. He looks an exciting talent, nonetheless.


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