Tottenham Hotspur have added some shrewd signings to Thomas Frank’s fledgling mission this summer time, Mohammed Kudus including aptitude to the widths and Joao Palhinha bringing some steely mettle to the engine room.
Nevertheless, Heung-min Son has accomplished a £20m switch to LAFC in the US, and James Maddison has ruptured his ACL and might be sidelined for the lion’s share of the season.
Spurs have points in midfield and assault, however Daniel Levy is likely to be satisfied so as to add one other signing to his workforce’s backline, despite the fact that Cristian Romero seems set to remain amid curiosity from Atletico Madrid.
Spurs eyeing Serie A raid
Tottenham have had numerous success in raiding the Italain prime flight for gifted up-and-comers in recent times, with the likes of Romero and Future Udogie springing to thoughts.
Nevertheless, Dejan Kulusevski is likely to be the cream of that crop, having hit his stride final season and made good on reward from soccer scout Jacek Kulig that he’s a “world-class expertise”.
Now, Tottenham are able to repeat their trick by raiding one of many Serie A superpowers for one more elite participant, with sights set on AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw.
In line with Caught Offside, Spurs and Arsenal have joined the race for the German centre-back, with Newcastle United already displaying a vested curiosity this month.
Thiaw, 24, has been the topic of a brand new €40m (£34m) supply from Newcastle, and whereas negotiations are understood to be advancing shortly, the Magpies have did not signal a litany of targets this summer time, and Tottenham could possibly be primed to finish a hijack.
Why Spurs need Malick Thiaw
Having joined Milan from Schalke three years in the past, Thiaw has made 85 appearances for his Italian aspect, bringing a dynamic defensive ability set to the squad.
Each crisp and enterprising along with his passing, Thiaw ranks among the many prime 6% of centre-backs throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for move completion, and the highest 14% for progressive passes performed per 90, as per FBref.
A move is taken into account progressive if the space between the place to begin and the following contact is not less than 10 meters nearer to the opponent’s purpose or any accomplished move into the penalty space.
He is additionally been hailed as a “monster within the air” by journalist Martino Puccio, so would deliver some substance to the workforce, guaranteeing some defensive solidity is discovered the place such went missing final yr.
On condition that Micky van de Ven and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate are thought of two of his most comparable gamers, it looks like Frank might hit the jackpot with this one, emulating the deal for Kulusevski and permitting him to develop into one of many Premier League’s superstars.
Tottenham signed Kulusevski from Juventus on an preliminary mortgage in January 2022, wrapping a transfer up 18 months later for a shrewd £25m charge (an analogous ballpark to Thiaw now).
Dejan Kulusevski – Tottenham Profession by Season (all comps) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Season | Apps | Targets | Assists |
24/25 | 50 | 10 | 11 |
23/24 | 39 | 8 | 3 |
22/23 | 37 | 2 | 8 |
21/22 | 19 | 5 | 8 |
Information by way of Transfermarkt | |||
Final season, the 25-year-old Kulusevski lastly struck a steadiness between his output, with Ange Postecoglou shifting him right into a central attacking midfield berth to an emphatic impact.
Not only a potent attacking menace, the Sweden worldwide’s power and tenacity fed the idea of his teammates, and he was typically a shining gentle all through a difficult, albeit in the end rewarding, season.
He averaged 4.1 profitable duels and 1.4 tackles per league match, as per Sofascore, and added a lot to the Ange system when it wanted him most.
In Thiaw, Spurs might repeat the trick, signing a rising expertise who has greater than his place calls for of him. It is one which Tottenham have to recover from the road as they head again onto the Champions League stage.
