Tottenham Hotspur are yet to sign their first player of the transfer window and it looks like a very similar situation to that of 2017. Last summer, however, the club ended the window with some shrewd signings.
Only time will tell if Mauricio Pochettino can sign a few players who can improve the squad. For the time being, though, the gaffer has to worry about Toby Alderweireld. The Belgian is pretty unsettled at the club and it’s likely he’ll leave in the coming weeks.
Manchester United have been touted as a potential destination, but reports indicate that the Red Devils haven’t matched Spurs’ valuation of the defender. So, unless they decide to go ahead and match it, this could be a long saga in the coming weeks.
It’d be pretty insane if Spurs don’t sign an alternative. They have Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen and Ben Davies, who can play as a centre-half, but a replacement for Alderweireld is imperative. The sooner they get him, the better.
Here are three centre-backs hey should target in the coming weeks…
#3 Domagoj Vida
The Croatian centre-half had a brilliant World Cup, and he did so alongside Dejan Lovren. That takes some doing, doesn’t it? A complete centre-half, Vida is strong aerially and his distribution is pretty impressive as well.
Both Alderweireld and Vertonghen are good with the ball at the feet, so Vida would be a good replacement in that regard.
Reports indicate Liverpool are closing in on him but haven’t met Besiktas’s valuation of £22m. If Spurs can move quickly, they could have a top centre-half at the club.
#2 Yerry Mina
Another centre-back who impressed during the World Cup, Mina’s rise was brisk considering he didn’t feature much for his club Barcelona last season.
Mina featured in just five games for the Blaugrana and mustered impressive stats. In fact, his tackling and interceptions with Barcelona were better than that during the World Cup with Colombia.
Mina, like Vida, is a good passer of the ball from the back and very strong in the air. He’s got good pace as well and has already played alongside Sanchez, so that’s another big factor.
#1 Jonathan Tah
Since breaking into the Hamburg team a few years ago, Jonathan Tah’s rise has been impressive. He was signed by Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. A year later, his consistent performances led a national call-up.
Tah is a good passer of the ball and a sound front-footed defender. Often compared to German World Cup winner Jerome Boateng, Tah could eventually become an even better defender than the Bayern man owing to his composure and distribution.
He is still only 22 and is the future of German football. Tah, however, is contracted with the club until 2023, so it’ll take a pretty big bid to make Leverkusen sell their prized asset.
