A centre back worth pursuing for Tottenham Hotspur
By Gary Pearson
Antonio Conte has made clear his intention of signing a centre back, and Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij fits the bill for Tottenham.
de Vrij was Conte’s central marshal when Inter Milan won the scudetto under the Italian gaffer. Guardian chief football correspondent Dave Hytner says that Conte is keen on signing his former centre back.
de Vrij’s preferred position, though, is in the middle of the back three, the same role as Eric Dier. Aside from that conundrum, and the fact that Conte is more inclined to land a left-sided centre back, de Vrij makes sense for Spurs.
At 29 years old, the Dutchman still has at least three of four elite years before the sands of time irreversibly take its natural toll. de Vrij is currently on about £116,000 per week, a fair, competitive salary that wouldn’t break Tottenham’s bank.
More than likely, de Vrij would demand a raise before signing on the dotted line, but Spurs would be willing to pay a centre back of his stature and experience up to £150,000 a week, maybe even more. Dier is earning just under half that, at about £72,000 a week.
The durable, seasoned centre back rarely misses action due to injury. He has suffered from a few minor muscle issues in recent seasons, but hasn’t missed substantial match time.
His last semi-serious injury was back in 2016-2017, when he suffered a metatarsal fracture. That kept him out of the lineup for about six weeks.
To make this work, Conte would have to be comfortable with swinging either Dier or de Vrij out to the right side of the back three. You’d presume, based on de Vrij’s experience, seniority and winning pedigree, Dier would have to make way and shift rightward.
Next. Tottenham reportedly closing in on first signing. dark
de Vrij’s contract ends in June 2023. Transfermarkt has him worth about £40 million, though Spurs would probably have to pay at least £50 million to secure his services. With Conte’s power of persuasion and the pair’s solid relationship from their time at Inter, this prospective transfer has a higher likelihood of coming to pass.