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Despite seeing Kieran Trippier move to Atletico Madrid and Serge Aurier suffer a hand injury that required surgery, Tottenham Hotspur failed to move for a new right-back before the summer transfer window slammed shut.
That meant that Kyle Walker-Peters started the campaign there, although his progress was halted after he suffered an issue in the defeat to Newcastle United, which meant that Davinson Sanchez had to be utilised there against Arsenal last time out.
It is clearly a problem position for Spurs though, and it would hardly be surprising if Mauricio Pochettino made a priority when the January transfer window opens in the New Year.
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One player the north London outfit were linked with during the summer was Nice’s Youcef Atal, with Algerian media outlet DZ football reporting with just days to go until the deadline last month that Tottenham were keen on the 23-year-old.
Having notched up six goals and a further assist in 30 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit last term, that was hardly surprising.
The African is a versatile player who can feature anywhere on the right – as shown by the fact that his only start for Nice so far during the 2019/20 campaign came on the right wing, rather than at full-back.
He appears to have a good record further forward too, with four of his six goals last season coming from that position, according to Transfermarkt.
Atal has certainly impressed going forward in his 114 minutes on the pitch so far this term too, having 1.5 shots per game and completing four dribbles on average, according to WhoScored, as well as some decent enough defensive statistics, too.
The fact that he is yet to make a cross despite playing higher up the pitch is a potential concern, even if it is early days.
It remains to be seen if Pochettino will reignite his interest in the Algeria international in January, but Tottenham fans have the perfect opportunity to keep tabs on the 23-year-old’s progress when his nation host Benin in a friendly on Monday night.
And who knows, an impressive showing could potentially lead him a step closer to a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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