Football news - Forgotten man Georges-Kevin N'Koudou may just prove Tottenham's best short-term fix
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 21/01/2019 at 12:50 GMT
Tottenham have seen their resources stretched over the past fortnight, but after a first Premier League appearance of the season, Georges-Kevin N'Koudou may just prove the most unlikely saviour - writes Ben Grounds.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
Image credit: Getty Images
"Helloooo u remember me?" It was a weekend of bizarre own goals, pulled hamstrings, but also of the forgotten man. Ryan Babel and Laurent Koscielny made it feel positively 2010 - but it was another blast from the past who provided not so much a timely reminder of his qualities as a belated demonstration of his worth.
Just over a year ago, Mauricio Pochettino admitted he hoped Georges-Kevin N'Koudou's loan move from Tottenham to Burnley last season would toughen him up. The writing was on the wall for the winger after his failure to start the FA Cup third-round tie at home to AFC Wimbledon.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/01/21/2505803-52014770-2560-1440.jpg)
There haven't been too many sales of N'Koudou's No 14 shirt
Image credit: Getty Images
But the Clarets' settled team in their best season in over half a century resulted in just two Premier League starts as the 23-year-old continued his struggle in England despite the change of environment.
Football certainly has a funny old way of surprising you. With Tottenham’s injury list mounting at Craven Cottage on Sunday evening, Pochettino must have been wondering when his luck was about to turn.
The sight of Dele Alli wincing as he clutched the back of his left hamstring was the latest blow in a month in which Tottenham’s season has threatened to unravel. Their four top goalscorers - Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Alli and Lucas Moura - were now all off the pitch as Pochettino urged his team forward for one last push.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/01/21/2505795-52014610-2560-1440.jpg)
It was only after Dele Alli's withdrawal in the 86th minute that N'Koudou came on
Image credit: Getty Images
But it was Alli’s late replacement who would emerge as an unlikely hero.
It has been a largely frustrating two-and-a-half years since N'Koudou was signed by Spurs from Marseille for £11million. Indeed, the Frenchman is yet to make a Premier League start for the club, making 10 substitute appearances under Pochettino.
He was only too happy to take to Twitter on Sunday night. Yes, we need to talk about Georges-Kevin, but you can be forgiven for not remembering him the first time around.
It just so happens that right now, with a Carabao Cup semi-final with Chelsea finely balanced ahead of the second leg on Thursday, with Kane out injured until March and Son on Asian Cup duty, N'Koudou has come in from the cold and is very relevant indeed.
It must be said, the winger won’t be given the same amount of time to cross a ball as he was by Fulham each week in the Premier League, but his timely contribution, crossing for Harry Winks to score the winner in the third minute of stoppage time, will have jogged a few memories.
Tottenham’s win which keeps them within nine points of leaders Liverpool has been tempered by the concern over Alli’s hamstring injury, but with Fernando Llorente and Erik Lamela failing to take their chance along the River Thames, Spurs are crying out for reinforcements.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/01/21/2505804-52014790-2560-1440.jpg)
N'koudou, far right, was even pictured the other side to the barrier on the Spurs' bench on Sunday
Image credit: Getty Images
Lamela had managed just one shot at goal in the 79 minutes he was on the field, with Llorente failing to make amends for his own goal when he passed up the chance to score with a point-blank header.
Pochettino’s decision to introduce Eric Dier in the second period of an absorbing contest had allowed Winks to roam further forward, a role he might now be asked to do with greater regularity with Moussa Sissoko also out nursing a groin injury and Mousa Dembele sold to China.
Lucas is closing in on a return from a knee injury, meaning N'Koudou may still have to settle for an impact role. It’s more than he’s had in the recent past – but he’ll just be happy to be given the opportunity to show his crucial assist for Winks wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/01/20/2505360-52005910-2560-1440.jpg)
Tottenham's Harry Winks celebrates scoring their second goal with Danny Rose
Image credit: Reuters
January often throws up curious squad inclusions that smacks of a player being put in the shop window. There has been a clamour for Tottenham to dip into the transfer market this month, bring forward their summer plans to salvage a season that might otherwise drift away ahead of the belated move into their new stadium.
The opening 45 minutes against a rejuvenated Fulham who threatened to go 2-0 up only served to provide further ammunition for those voicing disapproval at the club's highly cautious recruitment policy.
You could feel the weight of expectation on Llorente's shoulders almost literally for him as he failed to readjust his body and shinned the ball into his own net for Fulham's opener. He didn't recover, with the confidence of a recent hat-trick at Tranmere drained from his boots.
Coincidentally, N'Koudou's presence in the matchday squad came amid speculation of a move to Besiktas. But Spurs preserved their seven-point cushion over fifth-placed Arsenal in the Champions League spots thanks to his lethal delivery for Winks' winner which may just hold off any transfer.
Sissoko resurgence offers source of inspiration
N'Koudou may just look across the dressing room for his source of inspiration. It was little over four months ago when some Spurs fans were calling for Sissoko to be offloaded after an anonymous start to the campaign.
Sissoko was deemed a weak link, and a shadow of the player he was having to replace in Dembele. Sissoko arrived late in the summer transfer window of 2016 off the back of an encouraging European Championship with France, but he seldom showcased those powerful runs seen in the black and white of Newcastle that led to his £30million purchase.
That was until this winter, and the sight of Tottenham being overrun at times against a Fulham midfield containing Calum Chambers highlighted how important Sissoko has become. It was only after his withdrawal last week against Manchester United that Paul Pogba was given the freedom to run riot.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/01/21/2505793-52014570-2560-1440.jpg)
Moussa Sissoko has turned around his career at Tottenham
Image credit: Getty Images
With Tottenham now facing three Premier League home games against Watford, Newcastle and Leicester, N'Koudou will take courage from his compatriot's renaissance.
Perhaps it is only now, kicking and screaming, that we will see the real GK, as he is known by his team-mates.
Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness has claimed that Tottenham "risk everything" if they don't try to buy new players this month given their current injury crisis, but their predicament means any transfer would come at a premium. That's just not how Daniel Levy operates.
To those who have cried out for a replacement for Kane, N'Koudou may just prove to be the most unlikely answer to any short-term fix.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement