DONE DEAL Answer to Saka: Spurs heavily involved in race to sign £60m PL star

The last few years have been rather dire for Tottenham Hotspur.

The North Londoners have seen the likes of Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte fail in the dugout, and now, despite being a breath of fresh air at the start of last season, it looks like Ange Postecoglou might just be going down the same road.

On top of this, they’ve had to watch bitter rivals Arsenal edge closer and closer to winning major silverware for the first time in a long time, and while it appears that their chances are slim this season, that’s in large part down to the unfortunate injury of star player Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End star has become the poster boy of the Gunners’ recent resurgence, and while the Lilywhites obviously can’t bring him over to N17, they could be set to sign another Premier League youngster who has won comparisons to the England international, at least based on recent reports.

Tottenham target Premier League prospect

According to a recent update from Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Tottenham are, alongside “half of Europe,” intently interested in Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.

Plettenberg goes a step further, revealing that the Lilywhites and several other clubs from the Premier League are “heavily involved in the race” to secure his signature.

However, the incredible amount of competition isn’t the only obstacle Spurs will have to deal with, as reports from earlier this month claimed that the Saints could hold out for up to £30m.

In all, it could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given his ability and sky-high potential, one well worth fighting for, especially as he’s already won comparisons to Saka.

How Dibling compares to Saka and why Spurs should sign him

So, before we look at some of the other reasons why Spurs should be looking to sign Dibling this year, let’s examine this comparison to Saka and where it has come from.

Well, it primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the Premier League this season, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Arsenal star is the sixth most similar midfielder to the Saints ace.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, goals per shot and shot on target, successful take-ons, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.

However, away from the statistical similarities, there is also the fact that both players are responsible for much of their respective teams’ attacking output, and while they can play in a few positions, they truly excel off the right.

Away from the similarities to the Gunners’ star, one of the other primary reasons Daniel Levy and Co should look to sign the 20-year-old “game-breaker,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is their current squad building.

It’s clear that the North Londoners are building for the future with signings like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, so adding an incredibly exciting young winger who’s already racked up an impressive tally of six goal involvements this term makes sense.

Ultimately, Dibling might not reach the same world-class level Saka has in North London, but there are undeniable similarities, and he looks set for a bright future at the top level, so Spurs should do what they can to ensure he has it in N17.