SportBild have shed light into why Ilaix Moriba, who reportedly rejected Tottenham in favour of a move to RB Leipzig, is struggling to get going at his new club.
Moriba, who came through the ranks at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy, won several admirers after breaking into the Catalan giants’ first-team last season.
However, a contract standoff with the club over the summer saw the midfielder being frozen out of the first-team picture by former boss Ronald Koeman.
Tottenham were heavily linked with a move for the 18-year-old in the final few days of the transfer window, with reports indicating at the time that the North London club were the front-runners for the starlet’s signature ahead of Leipzig.
It was Leipzig who eventually won the race for Moriba, managing to strike a €22m (£18.7m) deal with Barcelona for the player.
It was reported at the time that the teenager preferred a move to Leipzig over Spurs since he believed he was more likely to get regular game time in Germany.
However, things have not gone according to plan for the youngster since his move to the East German club.
MORE SPURS STORIES
Moriba is yet to start a single game for Jesse March’s side so far this season and has been restricted to just three appearances off the bench in all competitions.
SportBild have now revealed that the midfielder is struggling to adapt to Leipzig’s high-intensity style of play as he was used to a more possession-based approach in Barcelona.
Spurs Web Opinion:
Some might look at Moriba’s situation as evidence that Spurs have dodged a bullet.
While it is only natural for young players to take time to get used to the demands of a new style of football, the fact that he has not made a single start in any competition for Leipzig is quite telling.
The former Barca youngster would have likely at least got a couple of starts in the Europa Conference League had he joined Spurs.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
