Tottenham interest in American midfielder reportedly ramping up

Antonio Conte is a big fan of Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, and there’s a chance Tottenham could sign him before the transfer deadline closes. 

To pay homage to all of Tottenham’s American fans, I’m going to use as much Yankee verbiage and vernacular in this piece as humanly possible. It’s gonna be sweet.

The Mirror about 10 days ago reported that Spurs’ initial bid for Mckennie was rejected. Whether Spurs actually made a bid is difficult to ascertain, such is the unpredictable, sensationalist nature of the Mirror. Regardless, Spurs have shown interest in the American midfielder since Antonio Conte came out of left field and joined as the team’s head coach.

Conte loves what Mckennie brings to the field. He’s physical and knows how to get down and dirty. He also started his soccer career as a more defensive minded, area-to-area player. He enjoys the defensive responsibilities protecting the backline embodies.

Lately, though, the 23-year-old has shown am impressive penchant for pushing up and joining the attack. All of his offensive stats, including chances created, xG buildup, expected assists and touches in the area, have improved substantially over the years. He’s gung-ho, aggressive and reads the play well. Spurs have no interest in acquiring another defensive midfielder, but McKennie is showing promising signs of offensive aptitude.

But it’s gonna take Tottenham a wad of dollar bills to buy him. He’s currently valued at £21 million ($29 million greenbacks) on Transfermarkt, and it’s unlikely Juventus will sell their midfield stud for anything less than that.

While a central midfielder is on Conte’s shopping list, it pales in comparison to the importance of landing a forward, right defender (wingback), central defenceman. Though Conte’s partialness to the powerful young Yank would certainly be enough for Fabio Paratici to make a serious go at signing him.

Juventus’ well-documented financial hardships could help Tottenham hit a home run on this deal. While the Old Lady won’t budge on the asking price, they will sell if the price is right (not just a classic American gameshow after all).

Let’s see how this develops in the coming days, but thus far there have been no updates in terms of a second bid, if we are to believe the first one occurred. With Conte as his firm backer, there’s no reason to think McKennie won’t provide his John Hancock and sign for Spurs.

Clint Dempsey and Brad Friedel were the last Americans to ply their trade for Spurs. Maybe the time has come for another to join the ranks. Give me a hell yeah!