OPINION
Tottenham could strike gold by succeeding in their reported pursuit of Lazio enforcer Luiz Felipe as he ticks a lot of boxes.
According to the Daily Mail Mauricio Pochettino is looking to strengthen his defensive options in the summer as there are concerns over the future of Toby Alderweireld.
The newspaper claim that Felipe is one of the centre-backs Spurs have expressed an interest in as a result, with the club’s scouts having monitored him in recent weeks.
Felipe has no doubt caught the eye of scouts as he has impressed in his 19 outings for Lazio this season and he has shown that he is a defender who is capable with the ball at his feet, so would fit into Pochettino’s system.
The 22-year-old has impressive dribbling skills, is a strong tackler, always puts his body on the line to block the ball when needed and shows great skill when playing short passes to help his side move further forward up the pitch.
It’s easy to imagine Felipe smoothly fitting into Spurs’ first-team if signed, and progressing as a player under Pochettino.
The Mail goes on to report that if Spurs are to proceed with their interest in Felipe then he will cost roughly £17million, which is a Daniel Levy friendly price tag.
The Spurs chairman hasn’t approved many big-money signings in recent seasons, likely due to the club’s new stadium, and is unlikely to go too wild in the summer transfer market.
Yet at £17million, Levy would see the sense in signing the Lazio centre-back due to his talent and the fact he is 22-year-old so his potential re-sale value is very promising.
Particularly when you consider that Pochettino is the type of manager who improves his players, with that in mind, acting in their pursuit of Felipe would be an excellent move for Spurs.