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Ally McCoist completely disagrees with what he’s heard about Timo Werner after Tottenham sign him
Ally McCoist has responded to being asked whether Timo Werner is the perfect replacement for Heung-min Son while the Tottenham Hotspur captain is away on international duty.
Timo Werner became Spurs’ first signing of the January transfer window, with the Germany international arriving on an initial loan from RB Leipzig.
It is not a move which many would have expected before the window. Werner had an underwhelming time at Chelsea earlier in his career. And he has not exactly set the world alight since returning to the Bundesliga.
Ally McCoist not convinced Timo Werner will be perfect replacement for Tottenham captain Heung-min Son
However, on loan, it is arguably a no-brainer for Tottenham. The deal for Werner comes with an option to buy. So if it does not work out, Spurs are not obliged to keep him in North London beyond this season.
And of course, it is clear what a difference he could make if everything clicks for him at Spurs. That is particularly important with Tottenham having to do without their captain over the next few weeks, with Heung-min Son away on international duty at the Asia Cup.
But speaking on (broadcast on 10/1), Ally McCoist hit back at the idea that Werner would be the ideal replacement for Son for the time-being.
“No, not perfect, I’m not having perfect. I totally understand you’ve got to try and get somebody to fill that gap,” he said.
“He’ll work his socks off, quite incredible pace but he just needs to calm down in front of goal.
“He does everything at 100 miles per hour.”
“Werner’s one, he’ll fill that left-hand side and looks like he’ll still go with Richarlison through the middle. Son’s a big miss, I don’t care who they [get in], it’s going to be a seriously difficult job replacing Son who’s been fantastic for Tottenham.
“I get what they’re trying to do, I’m just not as confident as [Jamie] O’Hara that he’ll score all those goals.”
Tricky decision on forward could come later if he does well at Spurs
The challenge for Tottenham will be deciding what they do if Werner does fairly well during his time on loan.
Admittedly, the fee is not too high anyway. But Tottenham will be wary of getting carried away with what Werner manages to do over the coming months.
He may perhaps go on a remarkable run and replace the goals Son has scored. But Ange Postecoglou will know that there have been players who really struggle to replicate their form once their loan has been made permanent. Dejan Kulusevski was one who took a long time to rediscover his best form after flying out of the blocks initially.
Ultimately, replacing Son in the January window is an almost impossible task. So McCoist is probably right in saying that he is not perfect.
However, it is hard to have many complaints with this particular deal.