Saturday afternoon saw the 2026 FIFA World Cup usher in one of the names for the future into the global game, Morocco's Ayyoub Buaddi, with the wonderkid playing a large part of his national team's draw against perennial powerhouse Brazil. Against A Seleção, Buaddi would put on quite the show, completing 60 passes, winning nine duels, and recording five interceptions as he stormed through the midfield, making it tough for his opponents to string a run of possession together.
It was just more than just a debut, as it showed that Bouaddi can perform on the global stage against some of the best players in the world, emboldening the interest that teams had in him following his stellar campaign with Lille in Ligue 1, winning out on 49 tackles and recording 33 interceptions last season for the French outfit.
All in all, the Moroccan wonderkid has been looked at and is being closely followed by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Paris-Saint Germain, amongst others, but according to a recent report, yet another English club is pursuing the 18-year-old.
Bouaddi is being eyed by Spurs
As reported by Foot Mercato's Santi Aouna, Tottenham Hotspur are now in the running to sign Bouaddi away from Lille, with the aforementioned clubs still in hot pursuit.
The Lilywhites' interest comes in the midst of a squad rebuild for the English side, as they have seen a few key members of their midfield depart following the conclusion of last season, with Yves Bissouma being among those, as well as a critical overhaul of their backline. A move for the Moroccan midfielder could make sense to provide the depth that Bissouma leaves behind, as well as being a critical piece of the club moving forward, given his age.
It's important to note that while there lies all of this interest around Bouaddi, the wonderkid himself isn't focusing on it for the time being, being rather focused on his national team's performance at the World Cup.
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