Another centre back on Tottenham’s transfer radar

Juventus’ Merih Demiral gained praise for his tenacious, fearless defending earlier this season and has popped up on Tottenham’s wish list in recent months.

Showcasing an abundance of ability, the Turkish centre back resembles a young Nemanja Vidić. Fearless and robust in the tackle, Demiral is willing to put his body on the line. At 22 years old, he has a promising future ahead of him.

Transfermarkt values the centre back at £26 million, a valuation that could double in the next few seasons. Demiral joined Juventus in the summer of 2019 and has slowly cemented himself as one of Maurizio Sarri’s first choice centre backs. Even highly touted former Ajax centre back Matthijs de Ligt was resigned to playing the role of Demiral’s understudy this season.

That was until Demiral ruptured his cruciate ligament earlier in the campaign, forcing him out of the lineup for an extended period. And that’s wherein lies the greatest risk for Tottenham. Does Jose Mourinho feel comfortable adding another player who could be injury prone?

The injury to Demiral might be a one-off, a freak incident that, given the current extended hiatus in leagues across the world, has ample time to fully recover. It could also be the first of a collage of injuries which could hamper severely Demiral’s ability to fulfill his incredible potential.

Manchester United and Arsenal, among others, are following closely Demiral’s progress. Spurs are also keeping a close eye on Brighton’s Ben White and RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, both of whom are promising centre backs in their own right.