Journalist Dean Jones spoke to This Is Futbol to discuss Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a central defender.
Spurs have shown a strong interest in Inter central defender Alessandro Bastoni, who previously played under Antonio Conte during their time in Italy together. However, there have been recent reports that stated Bastoni will remain at the San Siro.
Another defender on the radar of Spurs is Pau Torres, who was impressive for Villarreal last season, making 47 appearances in all competitions – 12 of which were in the Champions League as he helped his side reach the semi-finals of the competition.
When asked about the search for a central defender at Spurs, Jones claimed that despite not acquiring a player in that position, they will act quickly in terms of getting a defender through the door.
He said: “Ultimately, they want to move fast now on this, so they’re trying to discover who is the most attainable and most affordable on their list. There’s loads of work going into finding a solution on this one.
“So let’s see what this week brings, because I do think that they’ll make progress quickly now. It know it seems to Spurs fans that they’re stalling and missing out on these players, but from Spurs’ point of view, the transfer window only opened a few days ago and they don’t consider that they’re behind at the moment.”
Do you think Spurs should pursue Bastoni?Yes
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TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
Spurs had an impressive end to the Premier League season as they qualified for the Champions League, and with Ben Davies occupying the central defender role, Conte will likely be keen to upgrade in that area of the field.
Both of Spurs’ main defensive targets have Champions League experience, which could be key for next season, as Conte will be keen to do well in the competition. The north London club have already signed Ivan Perisic from Inter, who has made 41 appearances in the competition, so it is clear to see the route that Conte is going down when recruiting players this summer.