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The Euro 2016 and Copa America Centenario is over and it's time again to shift focus to club football. The transfer window has been open since the 1st of July and clubs have been busy bringing in new players and letting few leave in what can be one of the busiest summer transfer windows in recent times. The Premier League has got a massive lucrative TV deal starting this season which has sky-rocketed the purchasing power of clubs by multiple manifolds.
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London-based Tottenham Hotspurs had finished 3rd in the Premier League last season which enabled them to earn an automatic qualification back to the Champions League. Coach Mauricio Pochettino is keen to add players to his squad which will give him a good, balanced, and challenging squad for the league and in Europe in the coming season.
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Tottenham have already signed last season's top scorer in the Eredivisie, Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar and Victor Wanyama from Southampton adding more firepower up front and stability in midfield. They are now reportedly close to signing 21-year-old French U21 international Georges-Kevin Nkoudou from Marseille.
Background
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou joined the youth academy of Petits Anges in 2006, before going through the academies of EST Solitaire Paris next season and Paris St. Germain for the period 2008-10. He then joined AC Boulogne-Billancourt for a season before finally joining Nantes in 2011.
He graduated from the youth academy of Nantes in 2013 at the age of 18 where he was given a professional contract. He made his Ligue 1 debut on the first matchday of the 2013-14 season as he replaced Serge Gakpe in the last minute of the game against SC Bastia on 11 August 2013. He made 40 appearances for the club in all competitions before joining Olympique Marseille last season.
Strengths
A left winger by nature he can play also on the right as a secondary position. He is a dribbler, his ability to go past players is his biggest strength. He is someone who likes to stay on the wings and provide crosses into the box for the strikers, a traditional winger per se.
He made 38 appearances for Marseille in his debut season scoring 10 times and assisting a further 5 which is not bad a number for a winger, especially at his age. One of the main reasons for Tottenham scouting him is his aggressive nature as a player, he defends from the front loves to tackle players to retrieve the ball from opponents.
Weaknesses
One of his major weakness is his inability to hold the ball, he often lacks the application to his body between the ball and the defender. He has a poor first touch as well, as a result, even on the counter, he loses possession easily which becomes a damping factor in his attacking abilities. He is also weak in aerial duels which means he loses out on long balls and crosses.
Conclusion
He's represented France at the U17, U19, U20 and is currently a U21 international, having made 6 appearances and scoring once in the process. A fast, pacy winger, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou has lots of potential and has the credentials to represent the French National Team someday. Contracted at Marseille till 2020, it's not a surprise his performance has caught the eye of Premier League clubs and Tottenham Hotspurs under Mauricio Pochettino is the right platform for him to continue his development.
