Tottenham have two of the better left backs in the Premier League in Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence, with the latter providing important cover for the former this season. But with Sergio Reguilon set to leave for good and Ben Davies a better fit at center back at his age, Spurs need some defensive-minded cover at the left back position.
Udogie was an inspired signing from Serie A a few years back in 2022 and has been a rousing success. He's good going both ways. Spence is a quality Premier League left back, too, but it could make sense for Spurs to pursue a more defensive option who is more reliable in big games than Spence against the kinds of top opponents Tottenham want to start beating.
According to a report from Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS, Tottenham have joined Atletico Madrid and Brighton as top clubs interested in signing Mathias Olivera from Serie A title contenders Napoli. The 27-year-old left back has affirmed himself as one of the best in the league and has taken over from Mario Rui. Signing him would set Spurs back 40 million euros.
Matias Olivera isn't worth the money for Tottenham
That's a high price to pay for Olivera, who would be more of a backup to Udogie and a defensive cover option. Tottenham have limited funs, as-is, and as good as Olivera is at the left back position - and he certainly deserves more praise than he gets around world football - it's hard seeing a player with his skill-set and age being worth that much money.
Tottenham have bigger needs elsewhere. Olivera isn't the worst option, but he seems to fit a club like Atletico Madrid better than Spurs anyway. This season, Olivera is averaging nearly three combined tackles and interceptions per game but just 0.2 dribbles completed and 0.8 key passes per game.
Clearly, with his limited attacking output, Olivera isn't going to be replacing Udogie any time soon, and he costs just as much as Udogie's own transfer valuation. Tottenham aren't necessarily barking up the wrong tree, though, and Napoli are notorious for trying to get way too much out of their players before ultimately losing them for a lot less. So maybe if Spurs stick it out, Olivera's price will drop by half and they can swoop in. That's a big if, and it's probably better for them to just keep things going with Udogie and Spence.