Worth way more than Dibling: Spurs hit gold on "frightening" Ange signing

This summer has to be a massive one for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have seriously struggled this season through a combination of poor form and a torrent of injuries, so much so that they’ve lost more games than they’ve won in the Premier League.

However, as there were at the start of last season, there have been signs that the Australian could make things work with more backing, and based on reports from the last few weeks, Daniel Levy and Co appear to be looking to make signings in the coming months.

One of the players most heavily touted for a move to N17 has been Southampton gem Tyler Dibling, although if he did join the Lilywhites, he’d be worth considerably less than one of his main rivals for game time.

Why Spurs want to sign Dibling

While Spurs’ interest in Dibling is now in the open, the North Londoners are not the only club keen to secure the youngster’s services, with fellow Premier League outfit Newcastle United also said to be interested.

So, why are a number of the league’s biggest clubs circling a winger from a club who look destined to be relegated to the Championship?

Well, simply put, he has been one of the very few bright spots for Southampton this year, and while he hasn’t necessarily lit the world alight, he’s done enough to suggest that his ceiling is extraordinarily high.

For example, despite being just 19 years old and playing for a genuinely awful Saints side, the Exeter-born “game-breaker,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored four goals and provided two assists in 30 appearances, which is not bad going for his debut season in the top flight.

Moreover, while his primary and best position is off the right, the young Englishman has also shown himself to be a versatile attacker, making five appearances as a centre-forward this season, five in attacking midfield, and one in right midfield.

Finally, over the last year or so, Tottenham have clearly chosen to target up-and-coming talents in the transfer market, with moves for Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Wilson Odobert.

So, in their case, signing Dibling would also fit nicely with their long-term vision for the team, and it seems more than likely that his €25m valuation from Transfermarkt, which is about £21m, will start increasing very soon.

That said, if Levy and Co can bring the youngster to North London in the summer, he’ll have to work hard to match the valuation of his biggest competitor for game time.

The Spurs star worth millions more than Dibling

Now, when it comes to the winger options at Spurs, Postecoglou has a few players who can choose from on the left, but when it comes to the right, the only truly natural option he currently has is Brennan Johnson.

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The Welsh international joined the North Londoners from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, and while things haven’t necessarily been plane sailing since then, he has established himself as a useful attacking outlet.

For example, despite enduring a slow start to his first campaign in the capital, the 23-year-old scored five goals and provided ten assists in 34 appearances, totalling 2248 minutes. This comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.26 games or every 149.86 minutes.

This season has been even better, as in 39 appearances, totalling 2493 minutes, the “frightening” ace, as dubbed by content creator HLTCO, has scored 14 goals and provided four assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.16 games, or every 138.5 minutes.

Impressively, despite getting so much stick earlier in the season that he deactivated his Instagram account, the Welshman is currently the club’s top goalscorer.

So, when you take all that into consideration, it’s not massively surprising that Transfermarkt values him at €50m, which is about £42m, or £22m more than Dibling is currently worth.

Ultimately, if the Spurs do sign the young Saints star, then they’ll have yet another promising prospect in their squad. However, seeing if he can take Johnson’s spot from him in the long run will be interesting.

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