Tottenham: Berbatov delivers verdict on ‘surprise signing’ of Man Utd-linked star amid ‘stupid’ claim
Dimitar Berbatov has offered his thoughts on Tottenham Hotspur signing Timo Werner after he was initially linked with Manchester United.
It was confirmed earlier this month that Werner has joined Spurs on loan from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. They have the option to sign the former Chelsea attacker permanently in the summer for around £15m.
After failing to live up to expectations at Chelsea, his return to RB Leipzig fell flat and he only scored two goals in his eight Bundesliga outings at the start of this season.
The Germany international is in line to make his Tottenham debut against Man Utd at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Werner was reportedly on Man Utd’s radar ahead of the January transfer window but they did not bring him in as they are still deciding what type of striker they want.
Werner should fit into Ange Postecoglou’s system pretty nicely and Berbatov thinks he will be “great for the team” if he has improved “in front of goal.
“I think it’s a surprise signing, I did not expect it to be honest,” Betfair Ambassador Berbatov told Metro.co.uk.
“It’s a move that the club was working on way before the transfer window. Now he’s back in England two things can happen; either he’s going to show everybody ‘I’m back and I’m better than before’ or it’s not going to work out.
“Let’s hope for the good of the team that Timo is going to be a better player than he was at Chelsea and especially better in front of the goal because he was getting into goalscoring opportunities but the last touch in front of goal was what he lacked before. If he improves on that then he’ll be great for the team.”
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Berbatov also explained why he reckons Werner’s pace is a “great weapon” and he could potentially be “really great” for Spurs.
“That run in behind the defender is a great weapon to have, trust me,” Berbatov added.
“If you are clever enough and you have the speed, because you can have the speed but be stupid and you don’t know what to do. You have to be quick, fast and clever to know where to explore the space behind the defenders and to recognise where the space is.
“He has other players in the team that can give him the ball so then hopefully he can score and give assists. I think he’s a really great signing for the team and also that he’s not [signed] on the last day of the window. Let’s hope he’s fit and ready to go straight into the team.”
