Tottenham Hotspur were beaten by Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday but could Rennes’ star have saved them?
Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield looked about as sturdy as a wet paper bag in Saturday’s damaging defeat at Leicester City.
The £65 million Tanguy Ndombele once again struggled to impose himself against Brendan Rodgers’ ferocious Foxes, Moussa Sissoko provided plenty of running but very little else and even the reliable, and increasingly influential, Harry Winks was left tied in knots by Leicester’s much-admired match-winner Marcus Maddison.
This was not the first time, and probably not the last, that Spurs’ engine spluttered and conked out this season. Just days earlier, during a daunting Champions League trip to Olympiakos, Tottenham looked sluggish and predictable as they threw away a two goal lead to draw against limited opposition.
They played with the handbreak on and Mauricio Pochettino was far from happy. His mood was even worse after that trip to the King Power, and a result which means Spurs have picked up just two points from a possible 27 on the road.
To make matters worse, somewhere on the other side of the channel, Benjamin Bourigeaud was showing Tottenham exactly what they’re missing.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Tottenham were one of the clubs interested in Rennes’ 25-year-old talisman over the summer and it would have cost just £13 million to get a deal done. Spurs never moved beyond expressing an interest, though if Bourigeaud is disappointed then he’s certainly challenging his emotions in the right way.
The former France U20 star is a creative midfielder by trade, scoring 16 goals in his last two Ligue 1 seasons while his long-range rockets strike fear into the heart of opposition goalkeepers. But he showed another side to his game as Rennes secured an impressive 1-1 draw away at Lille.
According to Opta, Bourigeaud produced a remarkable 14 ball recoveries at the Stade Geoffrey Guichard, the most of any Red and Blackplayer in 12 months. He was consistently in the right place at the right time, a relentless flurry of energy and tenacity.
Who knows, maybe he’d have put a foot in as Maddison lined up a 25-yard thunderbolt on Saturday.
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