Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in securing a deal for Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries and have enquired about his availability.
The Inter Milan star is currently at the World Cup in Qatar and has played a key role in helping the Netherlands qualify for the knockout rounds. The wing-back has seen his stock skyrocket in the last few months and Inter may look to sell him in January to ease their financial woes.
According to 90min, Tottenham are keen to recruit a wing-back in the winter transfer window and have set their sights on Denzel Dumfries. In addition to Spurs, Chelsea are also interested in the Inter Milan defender, the report adds.
Dumfries, 26, arrived at Inter Milan in the summer of 2021 as a replacement for Achraf Hakimi and has performed very well since. His reputation has grown in Serie A, and has subsequently been linked with a host of European clubs over the last 12 months or so.
The 26-year-old wing-back has been Louis van Gaal’s preferred choice at right wing-back in this World Cup, playing every single minute of the Netherlands’ group stage fixtures.
Denzel Dumfries to Tottenham—Right option?
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is seeking defensive reinforcements after being unconvinced with a couple of his players this season. At right wing-back, Conte has rotated both Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty but none of them has been consistent with their performances.
And it is possible that one of Emerson and Doherty will be sold in January, while Djed Spence, who is a huge talent in himself, is likely to be loaned out after barely getting a look in under Conte. This accentuates the need for a wing-back for Spurs and Conte wants to bring in Denzel Dumfries from Inter.
Dumfries has had a good campaign with Inter, registering a goal and three assists in 15 Serie A appearances. The Netherlands international has caught the eye both defensively and going forward by averaging 0.7 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.4 clearances, 1.3 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game in Serie A. He has been a tidy distributor of the ball too, completing 78.3% of his attempted passes (stats courtesy: WhoScored).
The 26-year-old is an enterprising wing-back who likes to get forward, use his pace and dribbling skills to skip past his marker and make his presence felt in the final third. Dumfries has time and again shown that he can set up some promising chances for his teammates to score, either with his creative passes or delicious crosses in the box.
In addition, the Dutchman is starting to prove his worth as a decent finisher in front of goal, as evidenced by his seven strikes for Inter so far. He would be an instant upgrade on both Emerson and Doherty, whilst giving Conte the perfect blend between attack and defence from the right wing-back position.
Highly rated around Europe, Dumfries would be an excellent addition to Spurs’ defensive ranks if they can pull off a deal in January.
