Tottenham urged to stun Chelsea with raid for attacker who ‘is the answer’ to Antonio Conte problems

Former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart has explained a problem Antonio Conte needs to address if the north London side are to get in the mix for Premier League titles, with a move for a Chelsea ace suggested.

Tottenham are definitely in the mix for Champions League qualification. They sit in fifth place after 23 games, having picked up 12 wins and 39 points overall. They are two points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United, although Eddie Howe’s team do have a game in hand and can stretch that gap to five points.

Arsenal are in first and threatening to get to the Premier League title before Manchester City. Manchester United, meanwhile, have been impressive in the last few months and sit in third.

Due to the quality of the teams Spurs are battling with, they need to show consistency in the second half of the campaign if they are to make the Champions League for next season.

Van Der Vaart, who made 77 appearances for Spurs between 2010 and 2012, has discussed how the team can reach the next level under Conte.

He reckons they need a playmaker who can successfully bridge the gap between midfield and attack, helping to get the best out of forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. And a Chelsea star could be the ideal signing.

“There’s a few missing links for me, I think,” Van Der Vaart said during a recent interview (via CaughtOffside). “I’ve always said they’re missing a classic number 10. The midfield, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur – when he is fit – is solid. But they’re missing a player who can pick up the ball between the lines, make space, turn, run at defenders and get the ball to Sonny and Harry Kane.

“Harry has to play that role himself; dropping deep to get the ball, feed it out, then try to get into the box to get onto the end of things. It’s too much for him. He’s a striker, he has to stay on the shoulder of defenders and score goals. That’s his game.

Tottenham told to pursue Chelsea man

“They’re missing something in that number 10 area, and I think the answer is Hakim Ziyech. He’s not happy at Chelsea, and I’m a big fan of his. If Tottenham were to bring him in, their problems are solved. I really don’t think they need much more.”

Ziyech moving from Chelsea to Spurs would be intriguing, given the rivalry between the two London clubs. Van Der Vaart is right about Ziyech being unhappy at Stamford Bridge. He has never really been one of the first names on the team sheet for Chelsea. And his situation has only gotten worse amid the Blues’ huge spending.

Ziyech, would certainly revitalise his career by playing regularly in a Spurs shirt. However, it is hard to see where he would fit in.

Conte likes to select a front three of Kane, Son and Dejan Kulusevski when all three are fit. Richarlison, Arnaut Danjuma and Lucas Moura are also available in attack.

Playing Ziyech just behind Kane and Son would likely see Kulusevski drop out of the starting eleven. And this would be very harsh on the former Juventus man, as he has often been great for Spurs.

Plus, there is reason to suggest that Kulusevski partly performs the role Van Der Vaart is talking about. While he operates on the right flank, rather than centrally, he does turn on the ball and race forward to start Spurs attacks. He also has great vision and can pick out both Kane and Son with incisive passes or accurate crosses.

So while Ziyech moving to Spurs is a good idea, it is hard to see this transfer actually going through, unless Kulusevski has a major drop off in form.

Meanwhile, a Spurs ace has appeared on Real Madrid’s transfer wish list, according to ESPN.