The Frank Lampard-esque Donny Van de Beek would benefit from a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, former Premier League winger Jesper Gronkjaer has told Goal of the exit-linked Ajax star.
Any hopes the Dutch giants had of keeping one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders at the Amsterdam ArenA appear to have been scuppered by the ongoing global health crisis and the severe financial headaches that have followed in its wake.
Ajax director Edwin Van der Sar admitted to Sky Sports last week that there is an agreement in place for the £47 million-rated Van de Beek to go this summer.
And, while the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and a newly-moneyed Newcastle appear to be at the front of the queue for now, do not rule out Jose Mourinho’s Spurs charging into the race for a player who could fill a Christian Eriksen-shaped void at the heart of their engine room.
Gronkjaer himself left Ajax for England in his early-noughties pomp and the 80-capped Denmark international believes that North London could be the best possible destination for the much-admired Van de Beek.
“He is like Frank Lampard, that kind of player. He is a big guy, box-to-box and takes good long shots, but he is not as technically gifted as other players that have come from Ajax,” said Gronkjaer, who spent four years alongside the Premier League hero at Chelsea.
“He is a player you can always get a certain level from.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at Real Madrid or Barcelona but I would rather see him at a club just below that. For his style of play alone, clubs like Tottenham would be a better fit.”
The comparisons with Lampard certainly make sense.
Like Chelsea’s legendary number eight, Van de Beek possesses that all-too rare ability to finish off attacking moves with perfectly-timed runs into the penalty area. He has scored 40 goals in the last three seasons, including 17 as Ajax won the league and cup double in 2018/19.
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