Stoke City midfielder Wouter Burger has had a very good season and he is in line for an upgrade with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur looking to sign him up.
Stoke City has had a very average season, finishing 17th on the Championship table but the 23-year-old midfielder has been one of their brightest players, featuring in 39 league games in his first season in England.
The Potters had paid around £4.25 million to sign him from Basel and even though his contract expires in 2027, Stoke are willing to cash him on this summer but they reportedly want around £12 million for the central midfielder.
Should Ange go for the Stoke City midfielder?
Wouter Burger is a product of the Feyenoord academy and his first season in the Championship has been rather impressive. Despite being a central midfielder he has scored three and assisted four goals in 2639 minutes of league football.
This season, he has shifted roles between a central and a defensive midfielder but the 23-year-old can also play as No 10 and also as a centre-back. This versatility will come in really handy for Ange because Spurs do not have a very large squad.
The Stoke City midfielder has a passing accuracy of 77% and he has created 36 chances in the Championship. He’s been dispossessed only 25 times and defensively, he’s made 217 recovery runs to help out his back line.
Ideally, Stoke City won’t want to sell Wouter Burger because Sol Sidibe has also been linked with an exit but if Spurs are willing to offer £12 million then the Potters won’t be able to say no.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to leave the club in the summer which is why Ange Postecoglou is keen to add reinforcements during the upcoming summer window. Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr have done pretty well and these three will be the primary central midfielders for Spurs next season however, with Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp both set to head for the exit doors, Ange will have to sign backup players like Wouter Burger.
Tottenham will play in the Europa League next season and those tricky Thursday night games will be the ideal stage for the Stoke City man to showcase his talent in North London.
The Netherlands U21 international already has ambitions of playing in the EPL as he had said last summer: “I have goals and I want to one day play in the Premier League – and, in my opinion, it’s important to play in the Championship to be ready for that. With the plan from Stoke City for me and how competitive this league is, it looked to be the best move.”
Burger with just one year of experience in England will definitely be a gamble signing for Tottenham but at just 23 years old, he has lots of time to improve and at £12 million, he is worth the risk.
