Ever since AVB took the reigns at Tottenham there has been talk of creative midfielders coming in to White Hart Lane. Even after the boss signed Moussa Dembele the rumours retained their resonance. They say that there is no smoke without fire and noone would be surprised if Tottenham signed another middle man in Jan.
The names of Willian and Moutinho continue to do the rounds but another name has now entered the fray.
The Daily Mail, among others, reckon that Tottenham have turned their attentions to Palermo’s man mountain Josip Ilicic. The Slovenian international, 24, stands at 6ft 3in and was apparently on the Chelsea radar a while back.
The left footer was plucked by Palermo from relative obscurity, to fill the boots of Javier Pastore, who left for PSG in a £37m deal in the summer of 2011. Ilicic has gone on to become one of the jewels in the crown of Italian football. The most illuminating description that I have found of him comes, as illuminating descriptions so often do, from The Guardian:
‘Iličić is one of Europe’s most intriguing players, defying convention in almost every way, with a mix of physical and technical abilities that are hard to imagine working so well together, but do.
Let’s start with the physique – he’s six foot three inches tall, with good upper body strength and long, powerful legs. Yet far from being the stereotypical, sluggish, midfield battering ram, Iličić is a highly technical attacker, boasting quick, nimble footwork, incredible poise and more flicks and tricks than you can shake a stick at.’
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