Scouted another centre-back but not sure he is right for Spurs
Having had a brief look at some of the players Tottenham Hotspur are scouting in Holland, Spain and Norway I'm turning my attention on Belgium.
Spurs are of course no strangers when it comes to Belgian nationals, Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembélé and Nacer Chadli all being in our ranks. Vertonghen can be quality and can make individual errors, Dembélé needs to change his mental approach, which won't be easy for him to do unless he really wants to fight for his place and Chadli had an excellent first half of the season until his father passed away, then it turned pear shaped.
On May 10 we scouted Anderlecht centre-back Chancel Mbemba Mangulu. He is right footed but can play either side centrally and plays right-back for his country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has a contract until 2017 and is currently 20, he turns 21 in August. He is infamous for having 4 birthdays!
The faking of ages in African football has long been a problem and in 2013 FIFA began an investigation into him. When the story broke a FIFA spokesperson told CNN they were investigating.
Mbemba was registered by his two first Congolese clubs as being born in 1988 and CNN said they had official Congolese player photocards showing this. He was registered for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June 2011 with a year of birth of November 30, 1991. Anderlecht had August 8, 1994 and Mbemba thought he was born in 1990.
His date of birth is now listed as August 8, 1994 because a Kinshasa court ruled that was when Mbemba was born. He is officially 20, but he could be 24.
Personally I'd be concerned with his height rather than his age, he is 1.82m (5ft 11 1⁄2 in) tall, you really want your centre-backs to be that bit taller. He is however solidly built and rated as one of the top defenders going to the Africa Cup of Nations 2015. Mbemba is said to be weak tactically and has to rely too much on last ditch defending, that will of course improve over time, but how old is he? Is there time?
His marking needs work but going forward he is a threat in the air. Winning headers as a defender is rather different than winning headers as an attacker. He is comfortable though with the ball on the floor and has impressed Newcastle United enough for them to send their top scout to see him at the Africa Cup of Nations 2015. They have have been watching him for at least the last 2 years. Atlético Madrid, Sevilla, Porto, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolsfburg and Norwich City have all been scouting him as well.
His agent, Fabio Baglio, has recently been suggesting he would prefer a move to Tottenham ahead of the Bundesliga or La Liga, I bet he would there is more money here.
He did well in the UEFA Champions League so is improving but is not a leader. He has pace but you really need your centre-backs to be not just good players but leaders on the field so I do not get the impression he is a player we need at Tottenham.
Spurs are of course no strangers when it comes to Belgian nationals, Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembélé and Nacer Chadli all being in our ranks. Vertonghen can be quality and can make individual errors, Dembélé needs to change his mental approach, which won't be easy for him to do unless he really wants to fight for his place and Chadli had an excellent first half of the season until his father passed away, then it turned pear shaped.
On May 10 we scouted Anderlecht centre-back Chancel Mbemba Mangulu. He is right footed but can play either side centrally and plays right-back for his country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has a contract until 2017 and is currently 20, he turns 21 in August. He is infamous for having 4 birthdays!
The faking of ages in African football has long been a problem and in 2013 FIFA began an investigation into him. When the story broke a FIFA spokesperson told CNN they were investigating.
"We are currently analysing all the documents at our disposal and investigations against the relevant entities are on-going."
Mbemba was registered by his two first Congolese clubs as being born in 1988 and CNN said they had official Congolese player photocards showing this. He was registered for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June 2011 with a year of birth of November 30, 1991. Anderlecht had August 8, 1994 and Mbemba thought he was born in 1990.
His date of birth is now listed as August 8, 1994 because a Kinshasa court ruled that was when Mbemba was born. He is officially 20, but he could be 24.
Personally I'd be concerned with his height rather than his age, he is 1.82m (5ft 11 1⁄2 in) tall, you really want your centre-backs to be that bit taller. He is however solidly built and rated as one of the top defenders going to the Africa Cup of Nations 2015. Mbemba is said to be weak tactically and has to rely too much on last ditch defending, that will of course improve over time, but how old is he? Is there time?
His marking needs work but going forward he is a threat in the air. Winning headers as a defender is rather different than winning headers as an attacker. He is comfortable though with the ball on the floor and has impressed Newcastle United enough for them to send their top scout to see him at the Africa Cup of Nations 2015. They have have been watching him for at least the last 2 years. Atlético Madrid, Sevilla, Porto, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolsfburg and Norwich City have all been scouting him as well.
His agent, Fabio Baglio, has recently been suggesting he would prefer a move to Tottenham ahead of the Bundesliga or La Liga, I bet he would there is more money here.
"There remains three teams from leagues in the running. From Spain, from England and from Germany. They are all in contact with Anderlecht."
He did well in the UEFA Champions League so is improving but is not a leader. He has pace but you really need your centre-backs to be not just good players but leaders on the field so I do not get the impression he is a player we need at Tottenham.
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