Tottenham Hotspur are going into a new era with Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way, and bringing the Dane to Hotspur Way isn’t just a managerial shift from Daniel Levy; this one is an identity shift, as the incoming head coach looks to take up a structural system which is based on compact and vertical possession and complements a 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 hybrid system that is quite based on the control of the central zones.
And for Tottenham to implement this, the chiefs at Hotspur Way need to give the incoming head coach a defensive midfielder that combines positional discipline with transitional intelligence, and this is where Lucien Agoume comes into the picture.
At the moment Arsenal are taking aggressive strides in landing his signature, while Manchester United are also monitoring his situation at M16, but this is exactly why I think that the duo of Daniel Levy and Johan Lange must move swiftly.
The Frenchman has been featuring in a #6 role where he plays as more of a deep-lying playmaker for Sevilla, and given his zone-pressing style complemented by his vertical passing capacity, he will not make Agoume a flashy midfielder but will definitely make him quite important to play in a system. He is someone that likes to control without pulling through much chaos, and his intelligence off the ball makes him ideal to play for the North Londoners, especially under Thomas Frank. He can use his ability to dictate tempo in the second phase whilst having this use of body shape to block access between opposition lines under the trained environment of the Dane head coach in a more efficient manner.
How can Agoume fit at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
Playing as a #6 in a deep block of Thomas Frank’s system, he will be tasked with being the lynchpin in possession, especially when it comes to his distribution between the lines.
I think Frank can use Agoume in a mid-block orchestrating role where he is tasked to defend space vertically (and not just in a man-marking capacity). You can have him cover passing lanes into zone 14 and have him screen the back line when full-backs push high (which Porro and Udogie do quite like to do).
The North Londoners have been overrun in the central zones in the past seasons, and this could be quite a complement to how they played with high attacking intensity under Ange Postecoglou and how they lose their shape in the middle zones with all the midfielders not maintaining their zones and structure, but with Agoume you kind of fill this gap given how he understands his defensive role and how he is good at shadow pressing.
He has that first-phase release capacity under pressure, given how he likes to pick passes that do not involve a lot of risks. And then he is also quite good at turning his way out of opponent presses and releasing diagonals to wide players or vertical balls between lines.
You can also think about putting him in between the centre-backs during buildup phases (forming a temporary 3-2 base), which ends up freeing Bentancur and Maddison to play higher.
Then if we are thinking about his tactical flexibility, especially when you are slotting him in a 3-5-2 system, this is where he can play in a line pivot role, maybe with a couple of ball-carrying interiors around him where you can use his zone-first defensive instincts, making him ideal for the hybrid low-to-mid block shape which Frank likes to use to absorb presses and try to hit in transitions.
Strengths
He possesses that elite zone coverage, and you find the 23-year-old very rarely getting pulled out of it. Then he has that passing range which allows him to switch and play line-breaking balls, which is quite ideal for wide rotation-based systems.
He also has that ability to anticipate, so he ends up reading the second balls and can be used as a good press trigger. He also has that press resistance about him, but more in the pivot zones.
And then most importantly (especially when he wants to play in Thomas Frank’s structure), he is tactically really disciplined and doesn’t overcommit outside his zones.
Weaknesses
Now he is good at shadowing into challenges and interceptions, then being a high-volume tackler. And he has that limited ability in the final third, so you will not get any sense of goal threat from him, or you cannot use him in any playmaking capacity (especially in advanced areas).
Moreover, he needs cover runners around him, and you will get the best out of him when you play him alongside a more dynamic #8.
Why Tottenham must beat Arsenal to sign Agoume
Arsenal are already stacked with Rice and with Zubimendi coming in, but they still see Agoumé as a long-term holding midfielder. But then if Tottenham come into the picture, they offer something that the Gunners cannot: immediate minutes.
Under Thomas Frank, Agoume will get tactical ownership of the #6 role, and the North Londoners can also give opportunities for him to start regularly in the Champions League as well as the Premiership.
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Author Opinion
Agoume doesn’t look like a simple replacement player or a squad player; he is someone who can end up being the basis of the North Londoners stabilisation in the middle of the park, and especially if Levy and Lange are looking to make a structure-first identity under Frank, Agoume is the signing that will take the Lilywhites there. Tottenham missed out on Onana and Merino in the past; they can’t get it wrong this time.