OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur fell to their first defeat of the Premier League season on Sunday as Watford came from behind to win 2-1 at Vicarage Road in a game which exposed several weaknesses for Spurs.
One of those weaknesses was in midfield, with Mousa Dembele struggling to cope on his own in the middle of the park after Mauricio Pochettino decided to drop Eric Dier to the bench.
It is easy to criticise the Belgian for a poor display, but the fact is that the system did not complement him at all and he was left isolated too often.
Spurs do have midfield reinforcements available in Dier, Victor Wanyama and Harry Winks, but come January they may be on the look out for a new player there amid the latest reports about Dembele’s future.
As reported by The Sun, fan favourite Dembele may be set to quit the club in January for a big-money move to China, with Beijing Guoan hoping to sign the midfielder at the second attempt.
It is said that Tottenham do not want Dembele to leave but the club may be forced into a sale with his contract expiring next summer, with Guoan set to offer £8-10million for his services.
If Dembele does leave, then Spurs will need to find a replacement, and according to the Gambling Times, they are one of several clubs interested in Wolves midfield lynchpin Ruben Neves.
Portuguese midfielder Neves would be the perfect replacement for Dembele, with the 21-year-old offering something different to the club’s current options in midfield.
His age also means that he is the perfect player for Mauricio Pochettino to develop in the Spurs midfield alongside other young players like Dier and Winks.
While it will be hard to sign him in January, Spurs must aim to at least win the race for his signature come next summer, in a move which would instantly strengthen their chances of a title challenge next term, should it not materialise this time round.