The Schalke star has reportedly been on Tottenham’s radar for some time – but his stats this season don’t paint a positive picture.
When watching Max Meyer float daintily across the turf, it’s tempting to be reminded more of Lewis Holtby than Andres Iniesta. Like the former Tottenham playmaker, now flattering to deceive at perennial strugglers Hamburg, the Germany Under-21 captain remains very much a work in progress despite his undoubted potential.
At just 21-years-of-age, he has plenty of time on his side and undoubtedly has the velvet touch and vision required to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona’s pass master. And, according to the Daily Mirror, he could make the next step in his career in the summer by admitting that the chances of him leaving Schalke are ’50-50’.
No doubt Tottenham Hotspur will be at the front of the queue with just 15 months left on his deal with Die Konigsblauen. And while no two players are the same despite obvious links with their playing style and development, it’s only natural that Spurs fans will be reminded of the underwhelming performances of another former Schalke wonderkid at White Hart Lane.
If Meyer does move to Spurs in the summer, and he admitted earlier in the season to the Daily Mail that they had made an enquiry, he will be just a few months younger than Holtby when he completed an almost identical transfer.
Bundesliga fanatics will point out that Meyer, a diminutive and dynamic attacking midfielder with the class and the ambition to reach the very top, is more talented than his fellow academy graduate ever was.
Yet, while Schalke as a club has underperformed this season, Meyer’s performances have dipped too. In 22 Bundesliga appearances, he has scored one goal and created no assists. Another similarity with Holtby; end product seems to be an issue for a playmaker with talent by the bucketload.
The difference, however, is that Meyer would demand a far larger transfer fee than the £1.5 million Spurs paid to sign the one-time Fulham loanee, as reported by the BBC.
Superb in 2015/16, Meyer may need another year or two in familiar surroundings before he makes the mistake of moving too early.
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