Nuno Espirito Santo has had a dream start as Tottenham manager, winning each of his first two Premier League games in charge of the north London club.
The Portuguese gaffer has a great platform to build on, but even though Spurs have been excellent so far, it still doesn’t feel as though they’ve really settled under their new gaffer.
Their win against Manchester City was a tactical masterclass, it was a perfect counter-attacking showing, but it was a heavily adapted system that Spurs needed to use to play against the Premier League champions.
Against Wolves it was a similar story, it wasn’t the best showing we’ve ever seen, but once again, Nuno may have felt he had to change tack in order to get the better of a group of players who know his every move.
We’re yet to see what has become affectionately known as ‘Nuno-ball’ at Spurs, and the former Wolves boss is yet to unleash his patented 3-4-3.
Of course, as the season goes on, we’ll begin see a Spurs squad playing the way Nuno wants them to on a weekly basis, but right now, the gaffer may not have the squad capable of playing the way he wants to.
The most important thing in his system are wing-backs, and while Sergio Reguilon is a gem, Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier on the other side aren’t quite up to scratch.
Japhet Tanganga has been brilliant so far, but we can see him slotting in as a right-sided centre-half in the 3-4-3 when Nuno inevitably makes that switch to his favoured tactic.
So, Spurs may need a new wing-back, and luckily, they’ve been linked with a player who could be perfect.
Alvaro Odriozola has the pedigree to be a star at this level, after all, he’s played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, and his attacking output shows he could be very well-suited to playing as a wing-back.
Indeed, the Spaniard netted two goals in just 13 appearances in the league for Real Madrid last term, while he’s also brilliant at getting forward with the ball, once averaging 2.2 dribbles per game throughout an entire Europa League campaign for Real Sociedad.
Combine that with the incredible pace and crossing ability of Reguilon on the other side, and you have a scary pairing that’s perfect for Nuno’s 3-4-3.
Signing Odriozola and pairing him with Reguilon could truly kickstart the Nuno revolution at Spurs.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
