Spurs could repeat Dele Alli masterclass by signing EFL “showman”

The January transfer window has been open for two weeks and Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the busiest sides in the Premier League so far.

Ange Postecoglou has not wasted any time to improve his squad after a difficult first half of the campaign, due to injuries and suspensions throughout the team.

Timo Werner has been brought in on a season-long loan from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig to add to the club’s depth out wide and in the number nine position.

Meanwhile, Radu Dragusin has been signed on a permanent deal from Serie A side Genoa to compete with the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Ben Davies.

His arrival also allowed the club to sanction an exit for stalwart Eric Dier, who has joined Harry Kane at German giants Bayern Munich on an initial loan.

They still have two weeks left to complete more business in the market to give themselves the best chance of achieving success in the months to come.

Spurs interest in Championship showman

At the start of the month, The Daily Mail reported that Norwich City forward Jonathan Rowe is one of a number of players the club have their eye on.

They are not the only Premier League side eyeing up the England U21 international this month, though, as a host of other teams are interested in him.

Football Insider reported in October that Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are both keeping tabs on his performances for the Canaries in the second tier.

However, the outlet added that Norwich will not be willing to entertain any offers for his services in January as they want to keep hold of their top talent until the end of the season as they battle for promotion to the top-flight.

This means that Spurs, alongside Villa and Palace, may need to wait until the summer to be able to strike a deal to sign the talented youngster, who was in the academy set-up at Carrow Road when current Tottenham star James Maddison was strutting his stuff in Norfolk.

Norwich’s refusal to sell him this month means that there is no potential fee mentioned for him and that may remain the case until the end of the season, which makes it hard to gauge how viable a deal is for Spurs from a financial perspective.

However, if it is within the budget then Tottenham must push to secure his services as Postecoglou could repeat the masterclass the club played with Dele Alli – who arrived from a lower league club to make an instant impact.

Dele’s incredible journey

The impressive attacking midfielder started his career with MK Dons in League One and burst onto the scene as a regular during the 2013/14 campaign.

Dele produced 22 goals and 12 assists in 72 League One appearances in his two full seasons at first-team level for the club to earn himself a transfer to Spurs halfway through the 2014/15 campaign – and loaned back to MK for the remainder of the season – for a fee of £5m.

It did not take him any time to adjust to top-flight football as the teenage whiz racked up ten goals and nine assists in 33 Premier League games during his first term with Tottenham.

He followed that up with an outstanding 18 goals and nine assists in 37 league matches for the Lilywhites during the 2016/17 campaign, before a return of nine goals and 11 assists in 36 outings the following season.

However, the England international has not played more than 15 league games in a campaign since the 2019/20 season and has not been able to get back to the sublime form he displayed in his first few years at Spurs.

Dele bravely opened up to Gary Neville on The Overlap YouTube channel about his personal trauma and struggles that contributed to his drop-off in form on the pitch in recent seasons, which makes the success he did have early in his career all the more impressive.

There is no doubt that the 27-year-old whiz was a phenomenal player for Tottenham at his best as he seamlessly made the transition from the Football League to the Premier League, which is what Rowe will be hoping to replicate.

The statistics that show why Rowe could be the next Dele

The Norwich star has been in fantastic form in the Championship this season and has showcased his immense potential by tearing the league up at the age of 20.

He did, however, make 13 appearances in the Premier League as an 18/19-year-old during the back end of the 2021/22 campaign and registered one assist as his side were relegated from the top-flight.

Rowe then missed 42 of the club’s 46 Championship matches through injury last season and returned last summer to finally make his mark on the pitch.

The 20-year-old wizard has dazzled defences with his frighteningly quick feet and exceptional finishing – most recently against Hull on Friday night.

As you can see in the clip above, he has the skill, balance, and composure to weave inside and out of opposition players at pace whilst also being able to provide superb end product.

Rowe has been lethal in front of goal for the Canaries so far this season. He has racked up 11 goals from just 4.29 xG in 25 Championship appearances, which shows that the young gem has been incredibly efficient in the final third.

The Norwich magician, who was described as a “showman” by Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver, has also completed 1.2 dribbles and made 1.0 key passes per match for his side.

Impressively, the exciting whiz has also won 52% of his physical duels and made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game across his 25 league outings, which shows that he has dealt with the physical side of the Championship and does not get bullied by opposition defenders in 50/50 battles.

Therefore, Rowe appears to have all the qualities needed to make the step up to the top-flight due to his overperformance in front of goal, his physical attributes, and his age.

This is why Spurs must swoop to sign the young gem as he could be the next Football League talent to shine in North London, just as Dele did at his peak.