Finally, Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement for their first signing of the summer transfer window. Subject to a medical and work permit, Davinson Sanchez will be a Spurs player for a fee of around £42m, a club record.
What does this signing tell us about Pochettino’s plan for Spurs this season? It tells us that Mauricio Pochettino wants to make Spurs a really hard team to beat. The Lilywhites had the best defensive record in the Premier League last season, but the Argentine boss is clearly keen to strengthen this area and improve on the 26 goals that Spurs conceded last term.
I know the transfer market has spiralled out of control this summer, but to spend £42m on a player, you would expect him to be a regular starter at a club. With this in mind, I would imagine Spurs will play a three at the back system this season with wing-backs. Given the record that Vertonghen and Alderweireld had at the back last season it would seem relatively harsh to drop either of them.
We have seen the three at the back system work for a couple of Premier League teams last season. Chelsea were the main team to benefit from a system that Antonio Conte switched to in September following a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. Mauricio Pochettino has flirted with the system, switching between three and four at the back systems. The signing of Sanchez might just tell us which system the manager is leaning towards.
Furthermore, a three at the back system allows wing-backs to really push on while leaving sufficient cover at the back to defend on what is a very big Wembley pitch. I feel this is the system that Pochettino will look to play on a regular basis this season with Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Sanchez at the heart of the defence. Spurs could prove to be a very difficult team to break down.
Many feel that we have nabbed Ajax’s best player from them in this £42m deal and he is just the type of player that fits the Pochettino criteria. He is hard-working, young and has bags of potential. We could see Sanchez really grow and develop as a player over the next couple of seasons into one of the best centre-backs in world football.
It will be interesting to see how much game time Sanchez will get this season and what formation Pochettino will play to incorporate him.
Is Sanchez a good signing for Tottenham?
