Why Tottenham want to sign Antonio Nusa

Financial restraints have so far limited the Premier League's spending this winter, although Daniel Levy's uncharacteristic pursestring-loosening has facilitated an active window on the Lilywhite side of north London.

In Ange Postecoglou, Levy has his first manager since Mauricio Pochettino to build a long-term project around.

A once apathetic N17 is now an environment laden with optimism, and Levy's apparent backing of Postecoglou is starting to tame the more belligerent members of the fanbase.

Sure, Tottenham's January deals for Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin are hardly transformative, but the club's latest link is one that should have supporters beaming with excitement.

18-year-old Antonio Nusa has been touted for superstardom, and he could prove to be one of the defining additions of the Postecoglou era.

What Antonio Nusa can bring to Tottenham

Tottenham have already added to their frontline this month by signing Werner, but the German has generally been regarded as a short-term fix with Son Heung-min away on international duty.

Werner was only signed on loan, although Spurs do have a relatively modest option to buy outright in the summer.

Nevertheless, Nusa could be Postecoglou's long-term solution for Son's inevitable decline - although the South Korean has shown no signs of slowing down this term. The Norwegian youngster is the one-on-one master Ange adores, and Spurs desperately need to add a winger of this profile.

The Lilywhites have a savvy operator in Dejan Kulusevski who changes pace superbly and is a brilliant user of his body, straight-line speedsters Brennan Johnson and Werner, as well as a sharpshooter in Son. They're bereft of a standout dribbler who'd provide an alternate dimension to their slick possession play.

Nusa thrives when isolated down the left touchline. No player is completing more dribbles per 90 minutes than the Club Brugge starlet in the Belgian Pro League this season (per WhoScored). The teenager's swift change of direction and explosivity render him a nightmare for any opposing defender.

The winger was dubbed the 'Norwegian Neymar' during his time at Stabæk, with Nusa welcoming such comparisons. "I like to create chaos," he told Norwegian publication VG in 2021. "Neymar is my role model because he creates chaos on the pitch with his dribbling, just like me."

Nusa certainly isn't the masterful playmaker that Neymar would later evolve into, but his raw dribbling talent is comparable to the generational Brazilian. The winger, who has four caps for his country and is one of the protagonists in a mightily talented Norwegian generation, is a crowd-pleaser; one that'd be capable of raising the entire Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to their feet when he receives possession.

In short, Nusa seems utterly ideal for Ange Postecoglou. While stellar off the left, he's impressed across the frontline during his relatively short senior career and is a willing contributor out of possession. The teenager embodies the dynamic, unpredictable style Postecoglou has already successfully implemented in N17.

Nusa has the potential to take 'Angeball' to the next level.

Antonio Nusa career stats

Antonio Nusa to Tottenham details

Tottenham are said to have explored a deal for Nusa last summer, with Chelsea and Brentford among those to also register an interest.

Spurs are once again in the mix for the winger, although any deal that might be completed this winter would likely see Nusa return to Club Brugge for the remainder of the season. Fabio Paratici, who isn't employed by the club but still works as an advisor, signed Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie in similar deals.

Brugge are reportedly holding out for a fee in the region of £25m with Tottenham yet to lodge a bid. Discussions are said to be ongoing with the club keen to strike a deal this month due to increased competition in the summer.

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