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Que the Liverpool supporters asking us to get our own scouts! Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have been linked to the same player yet again. This time, it's FC Twente and Belgium star Nacer Chadli, who's been linked to a move away from the Eredivisie for quite some time. He's stuck around at Twente, but he appears to have crashed into the glass ceiling, and probably needs to move to further his career.
The Express is the paper running with the rumor. They have quotes from his agent, Daniel Evrard, that they pulled from De Telegraaf and translated.
"Nacer likes Champions League games but he is also attracted by English football. From that angle we expect something. Nacer is in a great position, both sportingly and in terms of his contract. I expect that clubs do not want to wait that long, and there will certainly be a decision this month."
Unfortunately for Chadli, there simply aren't a ton of Champions League clubs in need of his services that would be a big step up from Twente. Arsenal could use him, but they have much higher priorities than a wide player. Napoli have already locked up Dries Mertens and look set to sign Jose Callejon. The wings are the strongest part of Schalke's team and Bayer Leverkusen have already added Son Heung-Min. Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad wouldn't be terrible landing spots, but it's no secret that La Liga is on the decline and that none of the teams are thriving financially outside of the big two.
Chadli wouldn't be first choice right away at Spurs, but he certainly has the talent to break into the first team before the end of the season. He's a trickier player than Andros Townsend and much more of a physical presence than Aaron Lennon. If Andre Villas-Boas wants a player that has Lennon's dribbling skills along with Townsend's size and nose for goal, Chadli's a spectacular option.
Of course, Express has no quotes from anyone saying that Spurs or Liverpool is actually getting a bid ready, nor do they even claim that an anonymous source has told them that a bid is forthcoming. So, while this makes a ton of sense and is fun to speculate about, there's not much here yet. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing this develop into a full-blown rumor, though. He's a great player, he'd be a great fit, and his transfer fee would be reasonable.
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