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In profile: Tottenham Hotspur's new signing Nacer Chadli

Sports Mole profiles incoming Tottenham Hotspur winger Nacer Chadli.

At this present moment in time, Belgium are producing the sort of talent that supporters of the England national team could only dream of.

The likes of Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke, Jan Vertonghen and Romelu Lukaku have all started to make names for themselves in the world of football, while Adnan Januzaj of Manchester United - a player Sports Mole highlighted here recently - showed that there is plenty of fresh faces still coming through on the production line.

Someone who will now no doubt be looking to add his name to that list is Nacer Chadli, who will become a Tottenham Hotspur player once personal terms are agreed and a medical is passed.

While the fee has not been revealed, it is believed that Spurs will hand FC Twente around £7m to secure the 23-year-old.

Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring in the Europa League.© PA Photos

Standing at 6'2" and with a preference for operating on the left side of an attacking unit, Chadli has drawn comparisons with Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.

Like the Portuguese star, he tends to cut inside his marker and strike goalwards with his stronger right foot. Not that he is always single-minded. After all, the understanding that he forged with striker Dusan Tadic at Twente was feared by numerous defences in the Eredivisie.

The fact that he is right-footed also means that he can feature on that side of the pitch. It's the type of versatility that will be useful to Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas, who had little cover for Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon last season.

What's more, Villas-Boas profited greatly from handing Bale a free role last year. It seemed that at times the Welsh international was going to score with every shot. With Chadli now among the ranks, Bale is free to float without leaving a chasm on the Spurs left.

Nacer Chadli in action against Tottenham Hotspur.© PA Photos

His performances since arriving at Twente would also suggest that he is capable of easing some of the goalscoring burden that is currently hanging around Bale's neck.

Last term he hit 12 during his domestic duties and a further six in the Europa League. If Spurs fans give their memories a nudge, they will actually recall his clinical touch. He scored in Twente's 4-1 Champions League loss at White Hart Lane back in 2010, before curling in a free kick in the return match that ended in a 3-3 draw.

There are weaknesses to Chadli's game, obviously, although not too many that make themselves easy to identify. One aspect that Spurs may look to improve is the number of goals that he makes for his teammates. Last season he made just one assist in all competitions.

Nevertheless, Tottenham beat off a large amount of competition for his signature, with some of Europe's bigger clubs thought to have monitored his situation for some time. It will now be down to the player himself to show that he was worthy of such attention.

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Liam Apicella
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