Tottenham and Aston Villa tipped to sign the next Dele Alli – Mauricio Pochettino thinks he’s an ‘unbelievable talent’

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Tottenham are said to be interested in signing PSV’s Malik Tillman.

Having secured the services of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray in the summer, Spurs are seemingly looking to further add to their midfield roster – with the USA international said to be on their radar.

The Lilywhites, alongside Aston Villa have registered ‘concrete inquiries’ in Tillman – according to Florian Plettenberg – with a possible January move on the cards.

The Spurs News reported back in November that Tottenham were closely monitoring Tillman, and those rumours have seemed to have grown following the youngster’s exceptional performances in the Champions League.

Tillman, who has featured for the USA national team 17 times, is currently managed by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino – and the PSV man has recently earned some high praise from the Argentine.

Mauricio Pochettino compares Malik Tillman to Dele Alli

Pochettino is only a few months into his stint as USMNT boss, but Tillman has reportedly already caught the eye of his new manager.

Speaking to ESPN, Pochettino was questioned on Tillman’s ability – going on to compare the 22-year-old to former Spurs star Dele Alli.

“The physicality of him is similar to Dele Alli. Malik is an unbelievable talent. Of course, Dele Alli was an animal who was competitive; he was unbelievable. When he arrived at 17 years old from MK Dons, it was impossible to stop him.

“We are not talking about playing football we are talking about how to compete, killing everyone and opponents. Sometimes we had to tell him to calm down and remind him that we need to arrive in good condition to play.

“When we talk about talent I think they are similar talents but of course, they have come from different backgrounds. With Malik, we need to try and use our experience to translate the challenge to him, to try and compete in this way because if Malik competes the way Dele Alli used to. For sure he has the capacity to do so, the talent, the body, the power, everything.”

Would Malik Tillman be a worthwhile signing for Spurs?

Having only turned 22 back in May, Tilman could be a long-term option in midfield for the Lilywhites – potentially replacing James Maddison, who has had a mixed relationship with Ange Postecoglou.

Able to play anywhere across the midfield, the PSV star is extremely versatile and could provide Postecoglou with many options in the middle of the park

The youngster’s stats this season also suggest he can provide in the final third as well.

With fellow Premier League clubs like Aston Villa circling, it may be wise for Daniel Levy and Johan Lange to wrap up this deal quickly, whether that happens, however, remains to be seen.