Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Davinson Sanchez’s time at the north London club could be finished after rumours emerge of the team’s potential interest in signing Inter defender and former student of Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, Alessandro Bastoni.
Despite Spurs still having a job on their hands battling it out for the last Champions League spot, their attention has seemingly already turned to the transfer window as Spurs brass look to back their Italian manager by spending big in the summer.
Conte has settled into his typical 3-4-3 formation which he found success with both in England with Chelsea, where he won the Premier League and Inter in Serie A – which he won as well, breaking Inter’s 11-season league title drought.
Even though Spurs have seen an upturn in form since Conte’s arrival, the Italian manager is working with less than ideal players in a number of positions which he will look to replace in the summer. This is backed up by reports of his demand for up to six summer signings, including a centre-back, a right wing-back, two midfielders, a forward, and a backup goalkeeper.
Since this statement, there have recently been links to a new centre-back with Conte’s former player at Inter, Bastoni. The 23-year-old and Conte could meet once again this summer if Spurs do make a move for the £54m-rated man, which could mean the end of current centre-back Sanchez’s career in the English capital.
The £27m-rated defender joined Spurs back in 2017 from Ajax and racked up an impressive 177 appearances in this time, but he has seemingly fallen out of favour as he hasn’t started since his ‘shocking’ performance – according to pundit Jermaine Jenas – in the side’s 2-0 loss to Wolves back in February.
Bastoni has continued to impress this season at Inter as they chase another Serie A title against city rivals Milan, making 29 appearances in the Italian league, averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.9 clearances, 1.6 aerial duels won and an 89.4% pass accuracy (WhoScored). Meanwhile, Sanchez has 1.9 tackles per game, with 1.3 interceptions and an 87.2% pass accuracy.
Should Spurs sign Bastoni?Yes
No
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While it might cost a pretty penny to bring Bastoni to north London, it could be worth it in the long run, as Conte would get his man and they will vastly improve their defensive situation alongside Cristian Romero and Eric Dier – especially with Ben Davies currently playing out of position. Spurs brass need to build around Conte’s vision – a vision that has made him a serial winner, which is something Spurs themselves are not used to.