Tottenham news: N'Koudou won't be ready for a "few weeks"
Tottenham won’t play Georges-Kevin N’Koudou against Stoke
Tottenham fans hoping to get an early look at Georges-Kevin N’Koudou are set to be disappointed. The new French winger won’t be the in the squad against Stoke, and it might be several more weeks before he makes his Spurs debut.
Mauricio Pochettino commented on the club’s official website that N’Koudou still “needs a few more weeks” to get his fitness level up for Premier League competition. The former Marseille attacker has been training with Tottenham for a little while, but his transfer was only confirmed on Deadline Day.
There was some chatter that N’Koudou might make the bench for tomorrow’s match at Stoke. Erik Lamela is set to be rested after his late return from International duty which will likely push Moussa Sissoko into the starting XI. Instead of N’Koudou, look for Josh Onomah to remain the club’s first attacking midfield option off the bench.
In truth, the purchase of N’Koudou should be viewed as more of a long-term play by the club. He isn’t mature enough to break into the starting XI this season. The best realistic hopes for him to impact this year’s squad is as a high-impact super sub.
Fortunately for the French starlet, the club will have plenty of fixtures when he achieves full fitness. He may not slot immediately into Champions League play, but he should be a regular member of the first team squad for Premier League matches.
He’ll be even more important for Pochettino in Tottenham’s variety of Cup runs. Spurs fans weren’t pleased with some of the manager’s squad choices in the FA Cup last year, but hopefully N’Koudou can star in some of those lesser competitions.
Look for Georges-Kevin N’Koudou to be integrated slowly into the Tottenham squad. He shouldn’t see the pitch with the first team for at least a couple more weeks.
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