Linetty has been on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar for quite some time.
If you were to build Mauricio Pochettino his ideal, prototype midfielder, Sampdoria’s Karel Linetty would fit the brief pretty much perfectly.
Aggressive and energetic yet technically proficient and at ease in a high-tempo attacking build up, the Pole both disrupts and creates in equal measure and remains something of an old-school throwback to the box-to-box enforcers of yesteryear.
It’s no surprise, then, that Tuttomercatoweb reports that Tottenham Hotspur are keen to add his all-too-rare combination of tenacity and technique to their already top class midfield.
In fact, perhaps the only surprise is that Linetty is not already plying his trade at White Hart Lane. Back in 2014, The Sun claimed that Pochettino had identified the then-19-year-old Lech Poznan star as the ideal candidate to be his first ever signing at White Hart Lane.
The publication claims that former Sporting Director Franco Baldini was equally smitten with the teenager, who had recently netted on his international debut against Norway, with a £2.5 million bid supposedly in the pipeline.
However, while Linetty’s price tag will have undoubtedly swelled following an excellent debut season in Serie A, perhaps Spurs have been right to wait.
Benefitting from regular first team football at Poznan and Samp, Linetty is now a regular starter in the Polish midfield having developed into one of the continent’s most promising all-round midfielders. The odd substitute appearance at White Hart Lane may have stunted his growth somewhat.
According to WhoScored, Linetty musters three tackles per game on average in Serie A, the highest in Sampdoria’s squad, while also producing three assists at the other end.
Wherever Pochettino would choose to deploy him, the 22-year-old is undoubtedly ready for Tottenham.
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