Has Pochettino used his Spanish knowledge to unearth a talent?
Ever on the hunt for a bargain Tottenham, as I'm sure most clubs do, seek players who have 1 year left on their contract to try and temp the club to sell or lose the player for free in a year's time.
Éver Benega falls into that category but it's even better if a player is out of contract as of July. Of course the player has to be of sufficient quality so has Pochettino found one?
Alberto Bueno is a former Real Madrid youth player out of contract at Rayo Vallecano, the club who had Iago Falque on loan from us for the season. The 26 year-old is said to have had an excellent season which I can neither confirm nor deny.
The club has just signed midfielder Derek Boateng so attacking midfielder Bueno may be on his way. Tottenham are said to have made contact with his representatives, which if that is the case, must be the work of Mauricio Pochettino and his knowledge of Spanish football.
The Spanish Under 21 international plays mainly as a second striker, attacking midfielder, but he can play also play as a centre-forward or on the wing and we know how much Tottenham like versatile players.
He stands 5' 10" (1.78m) so aerial ability is not his strength and his crossing could do with improving. As with many attacking midfielders his defensive work is not the best but at the other end he is an excellent finisher and is good from long range.
His long range passing is good, he gets fouled a lot suggesting it's not easy to get the ball off him and he doesn't dive into tackles, exactly what Pochettino wants. If you dive into a tackle you are then out the game handing the opposition the advantage so Pochettino likes his players to stay on their feet, rather like Sandro does.
He scored 12 goals (11 goals from 65 shots in La Liga) with 5 assists from 41 games last season.
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Bueno had a spell at Derby County on loan for a season in 2010 which will have given him an idea of the British game and how it differs from the Spanish approach. His first-team coach at the time, Gary Crosby, said of him:
That will be because in Spain the emphasis is on playing football and learning in game situations rather than on the training field. In Spain they train more as a team whereas in Northern Europe clubs train players more as individuals, thus Spanish players are often more game aware.
That skill enables faster decision making as they have learnt to scan their surroundings regularly to know their options before they receive the ball. It would be good for the club and the fans to unearth an untapped or unsung talent from Spain, the way Michu did at Swansea.
Éver Benega falls into that category but it's even better if a player is out of contract as of July. Of course the player has to be of sufficient quality so has Pochettino found one?
Alberto Bueno is a former Real Madrid youth player out of contract at Rayo Vallecano, the club who had Iago Falque on loan from us for the season. The 26 year-old is said to have had an excellent season which I can neither confirm nor deny.
The club has just signed midfielder Derek Boateng so attacking midfielder Bueno may be on his way. Tottenham are said to have made contact with his representatives, which if that is the case, must be the work of Mauricio Pochettino and his knowledge of Spanish football.
The Spanish Under 21 international plays mainly as a second striker, attacking midfielder, but he can play also play as a centre-forward or on the wing and we know how much Tottenham like versatile players.
He stands 5' 10" (1.78m) so aerial ability is not his strength and his crossing could do with improving. As with many attacking midfielders his defensive work is not the best but at the other end he is an excellent finisher and is good from long range.
His long range passing is good, he gets fouled a lot suggesting it's not easy to get the ball off him and he doesn't dive into tackles, exactly what Pochettino wants. If you dive into a tackle you are then out the game handing the opposition the advantage so Pochettino likes his players to stay on their feet, rather like Sandro does.
He scored 12 goals (11 goals from 65 shots in La Liga) with 5 assists from 41 games last season.
Recent Stories:
Tottenham look to youth buys
Lovren to be Pochettino's first signing
Morata to Tottenham transfer back on
Spurs & Liverpool target the same players because of statistics
What does the future hold for record signing Erik Lamela?
Any truth to the Éver Banega transfer stories?
Bueno had a spell at Derby County on loan for a season in 2010 which will have given him an idea of the British game and how it differs from the Spanish approach. His first-team coach at the time, Gary Crosby, said of him:
"Alberto is a natural footballer – his awareness, his touch and his ability are outstanding at times."
That will be because in Spain the emphasis is on playing football and learning in game situations rather than on the training field. In Spain they train more as a team whereas in Northern Europe clubs train players more as individuals, thus Spanish players are often more game aware.
That skill enables faster decision making as they have learnt to scan their surroundings regularly to know their options before they receive the ball. It would be good for the club and the fans to unearth an untapped or unsung talent from Spain, the way Michu did at Swansea.
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