OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur overcame Watford in a seemingly comfortable 2-0 win on Monday evening, but anyone who watched the match knows it was far from that.
It was a laboured performance from an out-of-nick Spurs side who have several underperforming stars, and if it weren’t for an early mistake from Watford stopper Orestis Karnezis, they may have found the breakthrough much harder to come by.
As it is that opening goal from Dele Alli and an early second-half strike from Harry Kane secured an important win for Tottenham, who solidified their place in the top four.
However, the game did expose a glaring issue in this Tottenham side, and one that will no doubt come under the microscope this summer: the future of midfielder Mousa Dembele.
The Belgian was uncharacteristically poor on Monday evening, and his first-half showing was one of his worst in recent memory, with the 30-year-old losing the ball several times in possession and through misplaced passes.
He was slightly improved in the second-half, but his night was cut short by another injury problem, with the club yet to provide an update on his prognosis.
Dembele has been linked with an exit from Spurs this summer, with the Mirror reporting that the club are willing to listen to reasonable offers for the destroyer.
When these reports started to emerge, many fans immediately turned round and expressed their hope they weren’t true, with the Belgian’s departure being amongst their worst fears.
A more worrying report then emerged in the Independent suggesting that Dembele was himself ready to quit this summer and was eyeing up a lucrative contract in China.
In truth, Dembele’s performances have dropped off ever since these reports came out, adding fuel to the fire that he is indeed ready to walk away at the end of the season.
And, if he is, then it may not be so devastating as first thought for Tottenham, who really need players to start producing from deep positions.
Dembele himself has no goals and no assists in 39 games this season, and despite the obvious merits of his play in other areas, the club need more than that if they are to challenge for the title.
The contrast between the Belgian and Watford counterpart Abdoulaye Doucoure was clear to see, with the Hornets ace bustling to get forward on several occasions in an all-action performance.
So maybe time is indeed up for Dembele at Spurs, and maybe, despite initial fears, his departure won’t be such a bad thing for the club.