Tottenham Hotspur winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou has failed to win a first team spot at the club.
Georges-Kevin N’Koudou’s spell at Tottenham Hotspur has been worse than anybody could have predicted before he signed for the club.
N’Koudou has not started a single Premier League game since he signed in August 2016, and this January something has to give.
Spurs will learn little from sending him back to France, where he previously starred for Marseille and Nantes.
They have to work out if he can contribute in the Premier League, even if they are unwilling to take the gamble themselves.
The best move they could make would be to loan him out to strugglers Crystal Palace, with a view to a longer play – their own desire to sign Wilfried Zaha.
If N’Koudou does not work out as a success at Palace, then Tottenham have still arguably gained, as they will have been able to assess him in the top flight without taking the risk themselves.
If N’Koudou can’t force his way past Andros Townsend, a player Tottenham boss Pochettino decided not good enough, then the Frenchman is not up to scratch for Spurs either.
But in a best case scenario, N’Koudou would strike gold, and start making Tottenham look silly for failing to use him.
Tottenham could live with that if it means they get a better player back next season, or Palace might even want to accept him as part of a swap offer for Wilfried Zaha.
There is more upside here for Spurs than any other potential loan deal they could do regarding N’Koudou, and they should try to make it happen.
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