Should Tottenham Hotspur Cash In And Sell Mousa Dembele This Summer?

There’s a time and a place when it comes to selling players. There are those who have fallen out of line with the manager and, no matter their star power, will be shown the exit without a second’s hesitation. Jaap Stam’s controversial exit from Manchester United in 2001 is a chief example. The Dutchman was coming into his prime at Old Trafford, yet fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson, who he later admitted he sold Stam too soon. That being said, Ferguson needed to reinforce his position of power and the centre-back was sacrificed as a result.

Conversely, it’s key to cash in on a player when the time suits the club, regardless of their calibre. Mauricio Pochettino labelled Mousa Dembele a ‘genius’ earlier in the season, putting him in the same bracket as Maradona and Ronaldinho, yet rumours circulate that the Belgian will leave Tottenham in the summer. Dembele has a little over a year left to run on his current deal with the north London side and contract talks have been delayed until the end of the season.

However, with reports circulating that he’ll leave England for China or Italy doing the rounds, Spurs have a key decision to make. Dembele turns 31 in July, has started only 20 of 34 Premier League matches and has made just 25 or more league starts in two of the six top-flight seasons he has played with capital outfit following his arrival from Fulham in 2012, with injuries taking their toll. Dembele’s career feels like one unfulfilled with fitness concerns hindering the Belgium international from reaching the heights his career promised.

The player himself is supposedly demanding a three-year deal and one can’t blame the midfielder from holding out for a lengthy, big money contract as his career nears its twilight years. However, Spurs are a team that are reluctant from tying ageing players down to long-term deals and Dembele is no exception. Considering his chequered injury history, too, it wouldn’t be too controversial to see the team cash in on the Belgian this summer. What’s more, it wouldn’t be the worst move for Spurs either.

That isn’t to say Dembele isn’t a hugely influential member in the XI. When it seems as though opponents are set to rid him of possession, Dembele somehow manages to ghost past a player and set Spurs on the front foot. It’s also impossible to determine whether to get too close to him or sit off, as either way, it’s asking for trouble. He’s arguably Spurs’ most technically gifted player, yet for all of his qualities, there are negatives.

Even when he does push forward into the final third, Dembele’s output leaves little to the imagination. He has never scored more than three Premier League goals in a season, nor has he bettered a return of three assists in a top-flight campaign. He’s yet to have a direct hand in a goal in the Premier League this term, which for a player of his calibre in his position is poor to say the least.

Yet it’s that ability to drive opponents back that is his strongest trait. Of the 131 players to attempt 75 of more dribbles in Europe’s top five leagues this season, Dembele has the best dribble success rate (83.8%), as per WhoScored.com. If Spurs do cash in on the Belgian, then a player to replicate that threat is crucial, be it Mateo Kovacic, Frenkie de Jong, or any other player the Tottenham board and Pochettino has targeted.

Of course, it’s not an easy decision to make for Tottenham. Dembele’s renaissance under Pochettino has been one of the Argentine’s success stories as he nears the end of his fourth year in north London. His performances in the 2015/16 campaign alongside Eric Dier in midfield were breathtakingly magnificent and much of the reason for Spurs’ ultimate collapse in the final furlong was due to his suspension following a clash with Diego Costa in the Battle of the Bridge. All the more so, it came in a season where Napoli were supposedly keen on securing his services the previous summer, a sale many would have welcomed, despite his natural talent.

All in all, it boils down to injuries and age. No matter how carefully managed, Dembele will always have the issue that a knock could keep him sidelined for a period of time. Since the start of the 2013/14 Premier League season, he’s started five or more consecutive matches on just six occasions, with his recent streak of starts culminating in the 1-1 draw with Brighton, admittedly as Pochettino rotated with one eye to Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final. 

It would be with a heavy heart that Spurs would sell Dembele, yet they have fared fine without him in the past. If the right fee comes in, then his departure wouldn’t be an unmitigated disaster, but he would be a player that requires replacing. One certainly doesn’t envy the person tasked with carrying that out given the specific skill set.