Tottenham have become favourites to sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window.
What’s the word?
That’s according to Football Insider who suggest that Spurs are now frontrunners alongside Atletico Madrid to acquire the signature of Stefan de Vrij.
The Dutchman currently plays for Inter Milan in Serie A but his contract is due to expire at the end of the campaign.
Valued at £40m last summer, it’s believed the defender could now be available at a knockdown price as a result of his contract situation.
Spurs are said to have enquired about his availability and believe a deal could be done as soon as next month.
CIES Football Observatory currently value the player at just €15m (£13m).
Cuti’s perfect partner
In fairness to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side, there aren’t a lot of weaknesses in their ranks.
Indeed, Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski form a rather formidable trio in the final third while the battle-hardened midfield of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are a match for most in the Premier League.
Yet, at the back, there is still a hole to be filled.
Cristian Romero has been so impressive since arriving in north London but with his injury pre-Qatar, they missed him greatly. After he suffered a hamstring injury, Spurs had won just two of their five matches, conceded 11 times and have failed to keep a clean sheet.
Therefore, the signing of De Vrij makes a great deal of sense. Whether it’s as a replacement for Romero or as his eventual partner in defence, he would be perfect.
Described as a “monster” by former Lazio teammate Mauricio, he was also hailed for his “strong and fast” qualities that would undoubtedly be perfect in the top flight of English football.
Usually you require at least one of those qualities to thrive in the Premier League but bringing both of those aggressive traits to England will undoubtedly help a great deal.
After all, Romero is very much cut from a similar cloth, even if his 6 foot 1 frame comes in shorter than 6 foot 3 de Vrij.
Writing about the former’s best qualities, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare once noted: “He possesses the sort of sometimes-unhinged aggression that makes you so relieved he’s on your team and not the opposition.”
That’s a view the Spurs defender has only been too happy to own, once saying: “Defenders in Argentina are encouraged to be aggressive and show aggression.”
Combining that ruthless nature with De Vrij’s own strength would no doubt be a match made in heaven with Conte already reaping the rewards from his Argentine menace.
Tottenham conceded a glut of goals before the World Cup break but a pairing of the aforementioned names after the halt to domestic action would no doubt improve matters in the capital.