What do we know about Munir?

As Tottenham approach Gameweek 3 of the new Premier League season, the Lilywhites have found it difficult to breakdown opposition in the two games so far. With Mauricio Pochettino stating last week that he was still in the market for reinforcements, news broke today that Tottenham are hot on the trail of Barcelona starlet Munir El Haddadi. So, what would Munir bring to White Hart Lane?

Prodigy

Munir joined the famed ‘La Masia’ Barcelona academy in 2011 after a brief stint at Atletico Madrid. He first shot to prominence after starring for Barcelona U19s in the UEFA Youth League in the 2013-14 season. The Spaniard racked up 11 goals in 10 games throughout the tournament, including a two goal haul against Benfica in the final. Over the next year he broke onto not just the Barcelona B side, but also the senior Barcelona team, making occasional appearances alongside Lionel Messi et al.

However, Munir is now 20 years old. His senior career is still in its infancy, yet with the All-star trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar still firmly ahead of him in the pecking order, Munir; and his agent, have most likely come to the conclusion that regular first team football is most likely to arrive away from Camp Nou for the near future. An ambitious club like Tottenham Hotspur, currently on the rise, represents the ideal opportunity.

Skillset

So, assuming the rumours are true, and both Tottenham and Barcelona are currently in negotiations regarding the future of the young attacker, what will Munir bring to the table at White Hart Lane?

Well, straight off the bat, you can already expect a player with remarkable technical ability, when you consider that he was part of the famous La Masia academy since 2011. When Barcelona won the Champions League in emphatic fashion in 2011, no less than 7 of the 11 starting players that day were La Masia graduates – that should tell you all you need to know about that incredible youth set-up.

There’s a phrase I like: ‘You’re the average of the people you spend most time with’. This idiom doesn’t mean that if you consider you and all you’re friends and colleagues, that you’re the middle of the road. Not great but not the worst. It simply means that we are all like a sponge, and we can’t help but adapt some of the traits and characteristics of those we spend most time with. Well, luckily for Munir El Haddadi, he spends his time in very esteemed company.

Messi, Neymar and Suarez combined for a mind-boggling 131 goals last season. For a young attacker to see these three maestros in action day-to-day in training is a gift most young strikers would kill for. It’s no coincidence that when Munir is on the pitch, he seems to share the sort of creative instincts and football intelligence that the MSN trio often exhibit. The next thing you notice about Munir is that the similarities to his teammate Neymar don’t just stop at appearance.

Like the Brazilian star, Munir is a lightweight, super-quick wide attacker, who loves taking on players and has a keen eye for goal. Munir has netted four times for the Barcelona senior side since 2014 in 28 appearances, with many of those coming from the bench. His goalscoring threat is even more encouraging when you look at his form with the Spanish u21 side, where he has netted 5 goals in his 11 appearances. If I was to compare his style of play to someone closer to the PL, it would be another young Brazilian – Phillipe Coutinho.

Aside from the rapid full-back pairing of Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, the current Tottenham side is often found lacking in pace. The likes of Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen are among the finest playmakers in the league, but neither is a classic wide attacker in the mould of Munir. The addition of a player with Munir’s skillset and high potential could add a different dimension to the Tottenham attack.

Tricky Business

Many might wonder why Barcelona would let such a prodigious talent go, especially at the relatively tiny price of €15million which has been mentioned in the news. Munir himself recently committed his future to Barcelona in a deal that included a €60million buy-out clause. The key to all this business is of course, a buy-back clause.

Barcelona are fully aware that Munir may well be a future star at the Nou Camp, but they are also aware that he won’t be happy to wait patiently on the bench until Messi, Suarez and Neymar are tired of scoring +100 goals a year. The ideal option to Barcelona, is to farm him out to a club for a year or two, before reeling him back in as a more developed player, then ready to contribute in Catalonia.

Basically – if Munir was to arrive at Tottenham, it would be a glorified loan deal. Just this summer, Barcelona activated a buy-back clause for another academy product, when they returned Denis Suarez to the club after a spell at Roma. In a more high profile case, Real Madrid exercised the same move, bringing Alvaro Morata back to the Bernabeu after a successful spell in Juventus.

At this very moment, there are already two well known Barcelona players in this exact scenario too – Gerard Deulofeu at Everton and former Tottenham target Alen Halilovic at Hamburg. Both may well eventually return to Barcelona, should they impress during their time away.

According to reports, this is where the Munir to Tottenham move is currently stuck. Having seen the likes of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale rise to superstardom at Tottenham, Barcelona and the player himself are apparently happy to move to White Hart Lane to take the next step in this promising career. However, Daniel Levy and co. are less enthusiastic about overseeing Munir’s development into a star, before seeing him leave for a nominal fee down the line.

In my opinion, I think this move is a no-brainer. With the Premier League tighter than ever, worrying about what may or may not happen in 2-3 years time is a fool’s game. If Tottenham can get their hands on a player of Munir’s calibre now, they should jump at the chance. Players of this quality don’t arrive on the market everyday!