If the coronavirus had not reared it’s ugly head back in 2020, Daichi Kamada might now be in the midst of his third season as a Tottenham Hotspur player.
“My agent held many talks,” Entracht Frankfurt’s Japan international told BILD, missing out on a potential £26 million move to Premier League due to the uncertainty caused by an unprecedented global pandemic.
“But (securing a move) was difficult due to corona.”
There would be no such obstacle this time around. According to Japanese publication Sponichi, clubs from all corners of the continent are already queuing up to sign Kamada on a free transfer, his Frankfurt contract expiring in a matter of months.
Barcelona are in the mix. Manchester United too.
But, with Heung-Min Son’s inconsistency and Richarlison’s sluggish adaptation shining a harsh light on their ongoing overreliance upon Harry Kane’s enduring brilliance, Tottenham feel like the club who would have the most to gain from Kamada’s arrival.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR LIKE EINTRACHT FRANKFURT’S DAICHI KAMADA
In just 26 matches, Kamada has 12 goals this season. More than all the midfielders at Antonio Conte’s disposal put together. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur might have added a real ruthless streak to their game this season – both enjoying the most prolific spells of their club careers – but Kamada is a player the like of which Spurs haven’t seen since a young Dele Alli or, perhaps, Rafael Van der Vaart’s heyday.
“Daichi is a brilliant player,” explains former Frankfurt coach Adi Hutter. “Our analysts call him a good ‘interpreter of space’. He moves between the lines really well.”
There are shades of a young Frank Lampard in the way Kamada takes his chances. Perhaps even a Thomas Muller. He’s not the quickest. Not the strongest either. But when a loose ball drops inside the penalty area, he’s on it quicker than a hungry Jack Russell terrier.
In September, the Bundesliga’s official YouTube page posted a video showcasing all of the 26-year-old’s league goals in Frankfurt colours, and it doesn’t take long to notice an overarching theme. One of Kamada arriving late into the penalty area, finding a pocket of space and converting clinically.
‘HE WILL FIND A WAY TO SCORE’
His Champions League opener against Antonio Conte’s Spurs in October was Kamada to a tee. Tottenham, meanwhile, are not the only club to feel the wrath of Kamara on the European stage. In addition to being a regular goalscorer from midfield, the former Sint Triuiden ace is a scorer of big goals too.
He netted five times as Frankfurt won the Europa League last season, including a semi-final winner at West Ham. Two in nine minutes away to Arsenal back in 2019, meanwhile, proved to be the final straw for Unai Emery at the Emirates.
Kamada’s penchant for hitting London giants where it hurts would, for obvious reasons, come in very handy if Tottenham’s long-term target ends up joining forces with Kane and co when his contract expires.
“I like the way he thinks. I like the way he plays,” Arsenal legend Thierry Henry told CBS of Kamada before Japan’s run to the World Cup knockout stages, hailing a player who caught his eye when scouting in Belgium.
“Not really strong, he doesn’t jump too high and he’s not really fast. But what he does very well is that he always appears in the box.
“He can’t run past people. So what he does is he lays it off, then make sure he follows and makes it inside the box. He stays alive every single time. I really like Kamada. He’s a very good player. He will find a way to score.”
Leave a Reply