Could Tottenham swoop for Southampton right-back?

The on-going fan effort to preemptively determine who Tottenham will turn to for cover for Kyle Walker continued this week with rumors linking the club to Cédric Soares.

Now, of course, Walker’s fate is far from sealed, and Tottenham would be foolhardy to be too proactive when it’s still within the realm of possibility that the England international stays with the club.

Still, there’s no denying that Soares is the kind of player that would fill the hypothetical void left by Walker. The Portuguese international has been a mainstay at Saints since his arrival from Sporting CP in the summer of 2015.

Mauricio Pochettino’s influence at Southampton lingers, which means that the club still relies heavily on excellent two-way play on the defensive flanks. It is no coincidence that Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand all thrived at the club in recent seasons.

For Soares to be included in that club goes a long way in qualifying him for the job Walker would leave vacant if Manchester City eventually meet Spurs’ asking price.

There are some clear downsides or unanswered questions that might prevent this rumor from becoming reality however.

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Firstly, there’s no guarantee that Soares is any more capable than Walker of playing multiple matches per week. You will recall that, along with salary cap issues, among the primary dividing lines between the club and Walker were Pochettino doubts that he could rely on the right-back for every match.

Such consistence and endurance are highly prized by Pochettino, and it’s not clear that Soares meets those expectations. In neither season with Southampton has he exceeded 33 matches total among all competitions per Transfermarkt. With Spurs set to play much more than that, including mid-week Champions League matches, that’s not especially encouraging.

Then there are more practical barriers. The Guardian reported on Wednesday morning that Barcelona are possibly interested in Soares as well in their own hunt to find proper help at right-back after the departure of Dani Alves.

It also doesn’t help matters that Southampton director Les Reed publically came out later that same day and explicitly said that Soares — along with Virgil van Dijk — are not for sale.

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Which means that even if Spurs want Soares this summer, they are set to fight with one of the richest clubs in the world or a club determined to hold onto one of their best defenders. That does not bode well for Spurs’ chances.

And so the hunt for Walker’s replacement appears set to continue apace.