Tottenham Hotspur are in the pole position to sign Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo if reports in Spain are to be believed, as Liverpool look interested too. However, the Lillywhites are set to face stiff competition from clubs like the Reds, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and even Bayern Munich who are monitoring the youngster since the start of the U-20 European Championships, which Spain eventually won.
The Dinamo Zagreb midfielder was one of the sensations for the La Roja in their U-21 Euro triumph along with players like Fabian Ruiz and Dani Ceballos. Olmo was exceptional at the tournament and mainly caught the eye of several big clubs all across Europe.
The 21-year old came up through the ranks in FC Barcelona and have featured for the Blaugrana in their several youth setups, before joining the Croatian champions back in 2014. Olmo firstly featured for their reserve team and in one year he was shifted to the first team. His inspiring performances for Dinamo Zagreb helped Nenad Bjelica’s men to win the Croatian top division league last season, scoring eight goals and creating innumerable chances for the forwards.
Tottenham Hotspur have already snapped up dynamic midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and now Mauricio Pochettino is in search of a creative midfielder to replace their midfield lynchpin, Christian Eriksen. The Danish midfielder has been a vital cog in Pochettino’s side last season which lost the UEFA Champions League final against Premier League rivals Liverpool. Eriksen has already cleared his stance that he is in search of a new challenge and may opt to leave North London in the summer transfer window with Real Madrid heavily interested in the former Ajax man.
Olmo has the capability and the credentials of becoming a big thing in Spain but the 21-year old lacks the experience of playing in a top European League. Hence calling him a replacement of tried and tested Christian Eriksen does not justify the Spain U-21 international’s mettle. The Spaniard has scored three goals for his side int he U-21 European Championships and operated well on the right and even at the left flank. He is extremely versatile and excellent with the ball at his feet. His agility and dribbling make him a commendable player even on either flanks.
Reportedly valued at €30m, Olmo has also been linked with a return to Barcelona or join Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. But it seems the Premier League side is slightly ahead in the race to secure the services of the young Spanish midfielder. The German giants are also in search of alternatives if they fail to lure Leroy Sane from Manchester City. Hence players like Yannick Carrasco, Steven Bergwijn and Dani Olmo are the primary alternatives for Niko Kovac.
It is also high time for Spurs to bring in some reinforcements this summer and Dani Olmo will be a move in the right direction and will add dynamism to the team with his versatility. Considering they need more players in the creative midfield region to increase their squad depth, as they will play in multiple competitions in the upcoming season.
