Steven Bergwijn joining Tottenham Hotspur offers up a number of options for manager Jose Mourinho.
The forward was signed from PSV Eindhoven in the January transfer window, paying a reported £27m to bring him in from the Dutch club.
The Netherlands international, of course, enjoyed an exceptional debut, scoring a brilliant volley in the 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
Chairman Daniel Levy, of course, could not bring in a striker during the winter window, despite sources telling Football FanCast that the club were interested in signing Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, Real Sociedad’s Willian Jose and Krzysztof Piatek, who eventually left AC Milan to join Hertha Berlin.
Bergwijn, then, could well be the solution.
He arrived after making 16 appearances for PSV in the Eredivisie, scoring five goals and also registering 10 assists.
Per WhoScored, he averaged 2.3 shots per game, 2.8 key passes, and 2.5 dribbles, along with a passing accuracy of 87.7%.
His pacey running and brilliantly twitchy dribbling – he routinely sends defenders one way while sprinting away in the other direction – are, of course, at home on the wing, as he can front up defenders and take them on.
However, the 5 foot 10 man is also capable of playing up front.
Bergwijn has featured as a centre-forward 22 times throughout his career, scoring seven goals and also registering five assists.
Not only can he play up front, but he can also form part of a front line with genuinely fluid positioning.
Of course, Spurs also have Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura in their ranks and unleashing the trio on opposition defenders could bamboozle them.
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
The three are all capable of playing on the right, the left and through the middle and swapping positions throughout could mimic the tactics utilised by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Indeed, one would have to claim that the Reds do not have an out-and-out striker, either, with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino routinely swapping positions at Anfield.
Mourinho can utilise that system, too, now that he has Bergwijn at his disposal.
Meanwhile, Spurs were snubbed by a superstar on deadline day!
