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Tottenham Hotspur should have broken transfer structure to sign Axel Witsel in summer

Mathew Nash

Thu 17 January 2019 19:45, UK

Tottenham Hotspur are looking a little thin in central midfield. Mousa Dembele is leaving whilst injuries to Moussa Sissoko, Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama have not helped. Even before the season began, many a Spurs fan would have suggested that a powerhouse midfielder would be a good recruit.

Someone like Axel Witsel maybe?

Tottenham tried to sign the Belgian before. In the summer of 2016, However, all competition was blown out of the water when Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian made him one of the world’s best-paid footballers.

In the summer, after an impressive World Cup with Belgium, he decided he wanted to return to European football.

Borussia Dortmund paid a fee of £18 million, for the player in the summer. He arrived at a side often criticised for choking, being too lightweight, for lacking big game experience. All these accusations have been levelled at Tottenham in recent times. Dortmund, who face Spurs in the Champions League last 16, are certainly comparable to Spurs.

The results have been incredible. Witsel has become the key man in Dortmund’s midfield. As a result, they are top of the Bundesliga and have lost just two games in which Witsel has played this season.

The Belgian, who turned 30 this month, was not a typical Dortmund signing. Much like Tottenham, he would previously have been considered too old. But Dortmund broke their code and the results have been incredibly positive.

Tottenham would have been greatly improved if they had rekindled their interest in Witsel for just £18 million in the summer.