Spurs eyeing up £26m “monster” who could be their next Romero

The January switch window formally slammed shut final Thursday and Tottenham Hotspur snapped up two new additions to their first-team squad.

Central defender Radu Dragusin was introduced in on a everlasting deal from Italian aspect Genoa to compete with the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy additionally moved to signal Germany worldwide Timo Werner on mortgage from RB Leipzig, and the previous Chelsea man has loved a powerful begin to his profession in North London.

The top of the switch window didn’t cease the membership from doing extra enterprise, although, as 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall was snapped up for a payment of £8.5m earlier this month, and he’ll hyperlink up together with his new workforce on the finish of the season.

Newest Spurs switch information

Tottenham could not be capable of make extra signings to bolster their squad for the second half of the present marketing campaign however, like they did with the Swedish teenager, they’ll put work in forward of the summer time switch window.

In response to Corriere di Bologna, through Tutto Bologna Internet, Spurs are one among many sides ‘launching’ their curiosity in Serie A centre-back Riccardo Calafiori as Postecoglou eyes up one other new enforcer.

The report claims that Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan, and the Lilywhites are all conserving tabs on the spectacular defender, who has caught the attention together with his performances in Italy to this point this season.

It additionally states {that a} payment of €30m (£26m) has been touted for the 21-year-old colossus. Nonetheless, it stays to be seen whether or not or not any of the events can be keen to pay it.

There’s additionally the likelihood that Bologna’s valuation of the towering ace might fluctuate primarily based on his type between now and the top of the marketing campaign, as a drastic dip might decrease his market worth or it might skyrocket with a string of chic shows.

Spurs have already got van de Ven, Romero, and Dragusin on their books as recognised, pure, centre-backs, which signifies that they’ve two right-sided choices and one, van de Ven, for the left, though Ben Davies may cowl in that place.

Signing Calafiori, who’s left-footed, would go away Postecoglou with distinctive competitors for locations as he would have two first-team high quality choices in every position, for the proper and the left of the centre-back pairing, and make sure that complacency doesn’t creep in.

While, as a left-sided titan, the £26m-rated gem might play alongside him, Spurs might land their subsequent Romero in a swoop for the Bologna star as each gamers are progressive passers who may learn the sport successfully to win possession again for his or her respective sides.

Cristian Romero’s spectacular performances for Spurs

The World Cup winner has been a terrific performer for Tottenham in latest seasons together with his full-blooded, dedicated, shows on the coronary heart of the defence.

Romero provides his all on the pitch and that’s generally an excessive amount of when it boils over, because it did when he gave away a penalty and picked up a purple card for a poor problem towards Chelsea within the Premier League earlier this season.

Take these occasional moments of rash play out of the equation, although, and the 25-year-old colossus is important to Spurs together with his play out and in of possession.

Over the past 12 months, Romero ranks throughout the high 14% of centre-backs within the Males’s Massive 5 Leagues and European competitions for progressive passes (4.86), and the highest 11% for shot-creating actions (1.23) per 90 respectively.

This exhibits that the Argentina worldwide is a forward-thinking defender who consistently seems to progress the play for his workforce to construct assaults, slightly than being a regressive centre-back who performs secure passes and stagnates build-up play.

Alongside together with his excellent use of the ball, the Tottenham star additionally excels as an out-and-out defender who can learn the sport and dominate in bodily battles.

Romero ranks throughout the high 13% of his positional friends within the aforementioned competitions during the last 12 months for interceptions (1.56), and the highest 5% for tackles (2.40) per 90 respectively.

He has additionally received 69% of his duels throughout 18 appearances within the Premier League to this point this season for Spurs, which exhibits that opposition gamers not often get the higher of him.

Why Calafiori might be Romero 2.0

Postecoglou might land a left-footed model of Romero by securing a deal to signal Calafiori forward of the likes of Napoli, Juventus, and Milan in the summertime.

FBref record the Argentine enforcer as one of the comparable defenders to the Bologna star primarily based on their respective statistics, and it’s straightforward to see why while you have a look at the 21-year-old ace’s type this season.

Calafiori, whose latest development has been described as “insane” by analyst Ben Mattinson, is a progressive passer who doesn’t shrink back from his defensive tasks.

The Italian titan presently ranks throughout the high 6% of Serie A centre-backs for shot-creating actions (1.68), and the highest 29% for progressive passes (3.53) per 90 respectively. He additionally ranks within the high 5% for profitable take-ons (0.46) per 90 this season.

These statistics counsel that the Spurs goal, who has performed 19 league matches this time period, is much like Romero in how he excels at constructing assaults that result in pictures on the opposition’s objective.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Calafiori has dominated attackers in bodily contests and made made a number of defensive interventions to win the ball again for his workforce every recreation.

Actually, he ranks throughout the high 6% of Serie A centre-backs for interceptions (1.97) per 90, which illustrates his capacity to learn the sport to step in and minimize out opposition assaults.

Calafiori, who was described as a “monster” within the air by the aforementioned Mattinson, has additionally received 73% of his aerial duels within the league this season.

Due to this fact, the Bologna tank might be the left-footed Romero for Spurs in the event that they safe his companies in the summertime attributable to his qualities out and in of possession.