Ajax legend says Tottenham target Frenkie de Jong is better than Beckenbauer

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen to bring Frenkie de Jong to the Premier League from Eredivisie giants Ajax.

If there is any club that appreciates the work of the Ajax academy, it is Tottenham Hotspur.

After all, Mauricio Pochettino’s squad is made up of a number of players who honed their trade at one of Europe’s most renowned finishing schools. Christian Eriksen, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen arrived in North London directly from Amsterdam while Toby Alderweireld signed via stints at Atletico Madrid and Southampton.

But could Frenkie de Jong be the best of the lot? Possibly, if Ajax and Holland legend Arie Haan is to be believed.

As reported by Sky Sports, the latest Ajax academy star has been linked with a move to Tottenham after creating seven goals in just 12 Eredivisie games in a sublime breakthrough season.

And Haan has high praise indeed for a 20-year-old youngster who has made just 13 league starts in his professional career so far.

“De Jong is a better version of Franz Beckenbauer, because he has speed and passes the ball easily,” Haan told Ajax1.

‘Better than Beckenbauer’; a bonafide legend of the world game who revolutionised the sweeper position, won two Ballon d’Ors and lifted the World Cup with Germany as both a player and a manager.

So it is quite a statement to say that De Jong is, or will become, a superior player to one of the best ever in his position.

With such high praise from Haan, who played against Beckenbauer in the 1974 World Cup final, Tottenham should not think twice if De Jong is within budget.