The Tottenham Hotspur fans in the Transfer Tavern will be bracing themselves for the worst this summer as Mousa Dembele could be saying his goodbyes to the North London club. Whilst many fans think of the Belgian as irreplaceable, they should keep a close eye on Piotr Zielinski at the World Cup this summer as the man to fill the boots of their Belgian sensation.
Poland walked through their World Cup qualifying group, making it to Russia by comfortably topping their group and finishing five points clear of 2nd place Denmark. The Poles, led by Robert Lewandowski’s 16-goal campaign, won eight of their ten matches, drawing one and losing the other as they marched towards this summer’s tournament. However, one of the side’s unsung heroes could be set to make a lasting impression in the coming weeks.
The Napoli star has amassed 32 caps for his country at the time of writing and has scored five goals for the national team in that time. At the age of just 24, this is a huge achievement for the midfield maestro who was first capped as a 19-year-old. Zielinski has been a key feature in Poland’s qualifying campaign and he chipped in with six assists in their ten matches, as well as scoring in the country’s two most recent international friendlies against Chile and South Korea.
Tottenham fans won’t have to look too far to see the Polish midfielder in action, he’ll be coming up against Senegal, Colombia and Japan in World Cup Group H, with the top two in the group being drawn against the top two in England’s group, the likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Kane could get a chance to face Zielinski in the first knockout stage of the tournament. It would be a big statement of intent if the Poles managed to knock England out, and the form of Zielinski would be key in it happening.
This season has really seen the 24-year-old come into his own at Napoli. Alongside the likes of Marek Hamsik, Jorginho and Allan in the Napoli midfield the Polish sensation has chipped in with four goals and three assists as Maurizio Sarri’s side chased Juventus right down to the wire in the race for the Scudetto. Napoli were favourites to go on and win the title for a large part of the season and that wouldn’t have been possible without their talented Polish midfielder.
Landlord’s verdict:
Whether Mauricio Pochettino’s side manages to hold onto Mousa Dembele or not, the Argentine gaffer should take a serious look at Zielinski. The midfielder would provide the perfect balance to the club’s midfield options that they already have. His ability to create chances from deep and chip in defensively would make him a great acquisition to the club’s already talented midfield.
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