Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie before the transfer deadline day.
The north London club’s director of football Fabio Paratici is familiar with Weston McKennie, having signed him from Schalke when he was Juventus’ CEO last year.
The Premier League side are keen to bring in a central midfielder, and the 22-year-old’s uncertain future in Turin could allow a deal to materialise as Juventus rebuild their squad under Max Allegri.
According to The Independent, Tottenham Hotspur have already held talks with Juventus over the signing of Weston McKennie, with the expectancy of a deal being wrapped up under £40 million.
McKennie, 22, had a solid debut season with Juventus, with the central midfielder registering five goals and two assists in 34 Serie A appearances. He was one of the better performers during an underwhelming 2020-21 Serie A campaign for Juventus that saw them scrape into the top four on the final day.
Weston McKennie to Tottenham—A good value for money signing?
Nuno Espirito Santo faces a huge rebuilding task at Tottenham having arrived at the club earlier this summer. Spurs, who missed out on Champions League football for the second season running, have started the 2021-22 campaign well with back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Wolves respectively.
Yet, there are a couple of areas Nuno Espirito Santo must address before the transfer window closes down in four days’ time. One of those is the midfield, despite agreeing to a £14.5 million deal plus add-ons with FC Metz for teenage prodigy Pape Sarr, who will stay with the Ligue 1 side on loan for the season.
Tanguy Ndombele has recently told Tottenham that he wants to leave the club, with the Frenchman not featuring in any of their pre-season friendlies and not being included in the matchday squads by Nuno. Watford are already in talks with Moussa Sissoko over a potential move and should he leave, the Tottenham boss will be left with very limited options in midfield.
Thus, signing a central midfielder makes complete sense and Weston McKennie fits the bill perfectly at Spurs. McKennie is a versatile player who is capable of playing in a multitude of positions in midfield—predominantly as a box-to-box midfielder but can also operate from a deep-lying playmaker’s role or as an advanced 8 in a three-man midfield.
The USA international is not only good at entering in the box and scoring goals but also winning the ball back with his tenacious tackling and interception skills. He is excellent at recycling possession, starting attacks from deep and controlling the tempo of the game. The former Schalke man also has the vision to create goal-scoring opportunities for the team.
Tottenham could definitely do with some leadership in the squad, especially in the engine room. McKennie, with his experience and know-how even at such a young age, can bring that required calm and composure to Nuno’s side.
At 22, he has the qualities and potential to become an elite player and rumoured to be available under £40 million, McKennie could be a snip for Tottenham.
