And the other Dembele

Injuries have really derailed his attempts at forcing his way into the side. Much like the addition of Eriksen meant Clint was going to struggle for playing time, the addition of Paulinho has done the same to Dembele. Had he been able to show more consistency health-wise, he might have warded off that challenge. In time, he may still do so. Playing in Sandro's role isn't a good fit for his abilities and I'm not surprised he hasn't been able to secure that spot. But that's the nature of playing for bigger clubs. When they setup a 2-deep, the drop-off between first and second choice is virtually nil. That wasn't the case with last year's Spurs as much, but with their increased spending (in part from the Bale sale) it is now.

 

With Spuds' recent scoring woes, doesn't matter if they're 3 deep at every position. Bale ain't there to rescue them anymore. I think they'll end up having to put Mousa out there more, and I think they'll wish they still had Clint.