Tottenham evens to sign Wijnaldum, but should they really pay £25m asking price?

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Newcastle winger Georginio Wijnaldum has been linked with Tottenham, but he is far from a complete player.

Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates after scoring the first goal for Newcastle

Tottenham are listed as low as Evens with bookies SkyBet, to clinch the signing of Newcastle winger Georginio Wijnaldum.

Newcastle United are holding out for £25 million, report The Mirror, a fee Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to pay.

Wijnaldum scored an impressive 11 goals last season for Newcastle, and could make a big impact at Tottenham, but there is good reason for them to be hesitant to pay the asking price.

Digging below the headline figures of his goalscoring, Wijnaldum still has plenty of work to do to improve.

Home and away

Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates scoring his fourth in the win over Norwich

Wijnaldum’s 11 goals was an achievement in a relegated side, but it should be noted that every single one of them came in a home fixture.

His failure to reproduce his form away from home was a head scratcher for Newcastle fans, and showed a player unable to turn it on when the situation did not suit him, while four of his goals came in a 6-2 win over Norwich.

Had Wijnaldum been able to make a more telling impact away from home, Newcastle may still be a Premier League club.

Crucial stretch

Georginio Wijnaldum scores for Newcastle against Tottenham

The Dutch winger ended the season on a high note with two goals against Tottenham, but this was frustrating for Newcastle fans to watch in one sense.

Down a crucial stretch in the relegation battle when Newcastle really needed him, Wijnaldum went missing.

After scoring against West Ham on January 16, he did not net another goal in the following 15 matches, before turning up in the game against Spurs, one where the pressure was off.

Work rate

Tottenham’s Erik Lamela

Wijnaldum is a more prolific goalscorer than Erik Lamela, but he does not possess the same work rate as the Argentine, with who he will be competing for a spot on the left wing.

Lamela made 54 tackles last season compared to Wijnaldum’s 32, despite playing four fewer games.

The Argentine also created more chances than the potential signing, with 75 key passes to 48, and nine assists to five.