Paratici in full effect as Tottenham pursue a centre-half or two
By Aaron Coe
Left-sided defenders connected to Spurs
With the left-side being the priority, there have been more left-sided defenders connected with the club than centre-centre-backs, but there has been no shortage of either. While we know Bastoni is the top option on the left, there are a few others connected that stand out.
Pau Torres – Villarreal
Torres has been a long-time target for Tottenham, even before Conte took over as manager. The long-term interest is reflected in the fact that Torres is one of the oldest defenders. Spurs have been linked with this summer, although at 25, Torres has his prime still in front of him. A long defender, Torres shines with the ball at his feet. Likely as pricey as Bastoni, Torres is someone to keep an eye on but is down the Tottenham wish list.
Sven Botman – Lille
Like Torres, Botman is another hold-over transfer link from before the time of Antonio Conte. Playing for Lille in France, Botman came through the Ajax academy and is a giant of a defender at 195 cm (6’4”). Also, like Torres, Botman is strong with the ball at his feet – a trait that all of the linked players have – and uses his footballing intelligence rather than his athleticism as an intelligent, tactical defender. At just 22, Botman will continue to improve as a defender and with the ball, but like Torres may be too similar to Ben Davies to be a natural alternative.
Clement Lenglet – Barcelona
The oldest of the defenders linked with a move to Tottenham, the connection seemed to be more something of Barcelona’s making than anything Spurs were initiating. Clement is good with the ball but played less than 1,400 minutes on a below-average Barca team last season. It seems very unlikely that Paratici and Conte would move in that direction unless it were cheap loan coverage after spending big at centre-centre-back.
Story continues…