How does one go about replacing a genius?
It is clear that Mousa Dembele is past his peak at Tottenham. The Belgian, hailed a genius time and again by manager Mauricio Pochettino, still has his moments, some canny, clever turns to cut through the press of the opposing midfield, but they are all too rare.
Injury, as he predicted, is beginning to take its toll on the 31-year-old and Tottenham will need to act.
They’re not exactly ones for spending at the moment, though. While Pochettino will be keen to invest in his squad, whether that be in January or the summer, he may also be forced to look inwards, converting a current 'first-teamer' or down in the academy.
Standard Sport runs you through five potential replacements for Mousa Dembele…
Harry Winks
An obvious, cheap, choice for Tottenham. The boyhood fan once compared to Andres Iniesta by Pochettino is getting back to his best after injury stalled his breakthrough season.
Already capped by England and having shone on the biggest of stages against Real Madrid last term, he’s certainly a midfielder capable of handling the big occasion.
Winks, 22, is capable, like Dembele, of being deployed in a number of roles in midfield, whether that be dictating the tempo from deep, or looking to link things up further forward.
Frenkie de Jong
Touted as one of football’s next big things, Tottenham would have to put up a real fight to get their hands on the Ajax man.
De Jong, capable of playing as a sweeper or deep-lying playmaker, has caught the eye of Barcelona and Premier League champions Manchester City, and is on Pep Guardiola’s list of potential January targets having lost out on Jorginho to Chelsea in the summer.
A quick-thinking, technical midfielder, at just 21 De Jong appears to have all the hallmarks of a Pochettino player. He will, however, come at a hefty price, the exact opposite of a Daniel Levy player.
Tanguy Ndombele
Compared with N'Golo Kante and Michael Essien, Ndomblele, another Manchester City are keeping their eye on, has some handsome reviews.
Like Dembele, the Lyon midfielder has enjoyed success as a No10 before being shifted to more of a box-to-box influence.
Lyon have impressed this season, especially across two Champions League encounters with Pep Guardiola's side and, while the likes of Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir take the headlines at the Ligue 1 club, Ndombele has been quietly dictating their success.
A recent addition to the France national side, making his debut in October, the 21-year-old already has ties at the club in Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko. Again, though, he could be an option which doesn't sit too comfortably with Levy.
Moussa Sissoko
Many a Tottenham fan would have scoffed at this suggestion a couple of months ago, some still might. But the French international has turned a corner in his career in north London, and has brought the fanbase on side with his performances in the absence of so many key men this season.
The once bumbling excuse for a midfielder, who arrived from Newcastle on deadline day two years ago for £30million, is finally slotting into Pochettino’s plans. Sissoko is tireless on and off the ball and has a penchant for a marauding run forward. They don’t always come off, admittedly, and he has a long way to go to fill the sizeable boots of Dembele, but following his tremendous work this season, Sissoko deserves the chance at least.
Wilmar Barrios
Perhaps more of the Victor Wanyama mould than Dembele, Barrios is better remembered for his midfield industry, and a headbutt on England's Jordan Henderson at the World Cup, than any playmaking elements.
The Colombian, currently at Boca Juniors, has been linked with a move to north London for some time now. He would appear an outside option to replace the Belgian should Pochettino want something more solid for the coming years.
