Thursday 1 September 2016 09:12, UK
Tottenham have completed the signing of Marseille's Georges-Kevin N'Koudou - but what sort of player is he and how will he fit in at White Hart Lane?
The 21-year-old is said to have come to Spurs' attention while they were scouting his former Marseille team-mate Michy Batshuayi, who joined Chelsea earlier this summer.
Now they finally have their man, we take a look at his strengths and weaknesses...
N'Koudou came through the youth ranks at Nantes after being turned away by Paris Saint-Germain. The Versailles-born forward made his Nantes debut as an 18-year-old substitute in a Ligue 1 clash with Bastia in August 2013, but it wasn't until the 2014/15 campaign that he began to feature regularly.
The youngster made 16 league starts and 12 substitute appearances that season, scoring twice and claiming one assist as Nantes finished 14th. N'Koudou had already featured for France's U17s, U19s and U20s, and soon enough he made the step up to the U21s.
His youthful promise attracted interest from Marseille, who agreed a £1m deal to take him to the Stade Velodrome in June 2015. Manager Marcelo Bielsa departed just two months later and Marseille finished the season in 14th place, but the impact of their young winger was a major positive.
With Dimitri Payet sold to West Ham, N'Koudou became a regular starter on Marseille's left flank, combining to good effect with striker Batshuayi and finishing the campaign with 10 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions. One year on from signing him, L'OM have made a huge profit.
N'Koudou is a fast, hard-working winger who loves to run with the ball and take on defenders. He is comfortable on either foot, meaning opponents can never be sure whether he will charge down the flank to cross, or cut inside to go for goal himself.
His scoring record of a goal every four games last season highlights his attacking threat. He has a powerful long-range shot and he is also confident when dispatching chances in the penalty box.
One of his biggest strengths is his dribbling ability. Only six players in Ligue 1 averaged more successful dribbles per game than N'Koudou (2.3) last season. His pace is dangerous on the counter-attack, and his quick feet and acceleration allow him to beat defenders from a standing position.
N'Koudou has taken major strides forward since joining Marseille from Nantes, but at 21 he is still a relatively inexperienced and raw talent with plenty of maturing to do.
The trickery is eye-catching when it comes off, but N'Koudou's close control lets him down at times. The stats show he was dispossessed more frequently (3.0 times per game) than any of his Marseille team-mates last season, and he also ranked first for unsuccessful touches (2.5 per game).
He might need to be more economical in possession at Spurs, but Pochettino will hope his decision-making improves as his development continues.
N'Koudou can play on either flank and would add width to a squad light on natural wingers. His pace and power is well suited to Tottenham's dynamic attacking style, and he would certainly hope to make a bigger impact than fellow winger Clinton N'Jie, who has hardly featured since joining Spurs from Lyon last summer and has now joined Marseille on a season-long loan.
N'Koudou fits the profile of Tottenham's young, hungry squad, and the Bielsa link is also interesting. The former Marseille boss is one of Pochettino's biggest coaching influences, and while he only spent a couple of months working with N'Koudou, the decision to sign him shows he thought the youngster was a good fit for the high-intensity playing style both he and Pochettino subscribe to.
Tottenham's attacking players are expected to work tirelessly and press high up the pitch when the opposition have possession, and N'Koudou showed his appreciation for that side of the game in an interview with French newspaper La Provence last July.
"Before attacking, you have to know how to defend well," he said. "That is what is asked of us in training: press, press and press, and when you are in the danger zone, that's when everyone attacks. It's a style of play that suits me."
