SPURS ATTEMPTED TO STRENGTHEN THEIR DEFENCE LATE IN THE WINTER TRANSFER WINDOW, WHEN THEY MADE A MOVE FOR CRYSTAL PALACE CAPTAIN MARC GUEHI. THEIR BIDDING FAILED AND THEY SHIFTED TO KEVIN DANSO, WHOSE LOAN ARRIVAL FROM LENS HAS BECOME A PERMANENT TRANSFER THIS SUMMER, BUT THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR SPURS TO IMPROVE THEIR OPTIONS AT THE BACK FOR NEW HEAD COACH FRANK.
HIS PREDECESSOR ANGE POSTECOGLOU WAS DEPRIVED OF DEFENSIVE DEPTH LAST SEASON, WHICH TOTTENHAM ARE AIMING TO RECTIFY. RUMOURS ABOUT VICE-CAPTAIN ROMERO EYEING A MOVE AWAY HAVE ONLY ADDED TO THE FOCUS ON FINDING ANOTHER CENTRE-BACK.
FABRIZIO ROMANO HAS SINCE BACKED ROMERO TO STAY AT SPURS AFTER COOLING TALK OF A MOVE TO ATLETICO MADRID, BUT WHEN SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, FRANK WAS FOCUSING ON THE PLAYER’S PAST AND PRESENT RATHER THAN HIS FUTURE.
“WORLD CUP WINNER, EUROPA LEAGUE WINNER, COPA AMERICA WINNER, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US,” FRANK EXPLAINED. “MY EXPECTATION IS ALL THE PLAYERS ARE HERE AND THEY ARE TRAINING WELL. THAT IS WHAT I AM FOCUSING ON AND AGAIN VERY IMPRESSED BY THEM. THEY SET THE STANDARDS AND TRAIN HARD.”
THE LIKES OF ROMERO MAY SOON BE SETTING STANDARDS FOR NEW TEAMMATES, WITH SPURS STILL ACTIVELY ON THE HUNT FOR ADDITIONS TO THEIR MIDFIELD, BUT ALSO THEIR DEFENCE.
AND ACCORDING TO REPORTS IN FRANCE, THEY ARE CONSIDERING ANOTHER RAID ON PALACE – BUT THIS TIME FOR A DEFENDER WHO STARTED NEXT TO GUEHI IN THE SIDE THAT WON THE FA CUP FINAL IN MAY: MAXENCE LACROIX. ACCORDING TO L’EQUIPE, SPURS ARE SHOWING INTEREST IN THE FRENCHMAN, WHO ONLY JOINED THE EAGLES LAST SUMMER FROM WOLFSBURG.
HIS SUCCESS IN ADAPTING TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND CONTRIBUTING TO PALACE’S FA CUP WIN HAS CAUGHT SPURS’ ATTENTION. A MOVE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH LONDON WOULD ALSO REUNITE LACROIX WITH HIS FORMER WOLFSBURG TEAMMATE MICKY VAN DE VEN IN THE SPURS DEFENCE. HOWEVER, SPURS AREN’T ALONE IN THEIR ADMIRATION OF THE 25-YEAR-OLD, WHO L’EQUIPE CLAIMS IS ALSO BEING EYED BY BORUSSIA DORTMUND FOR A BUNDESLIGA RETURN, OR VARIOUS SERIE A CLUBS FOR A NEW CHALLENGE IN ITALY.
THERE ARE NO DETAILS YET OF HOW MUCH LACROIX MIGHT COST, BUT HIS CONTRACT AT SELHURST PARK IS DUE TO LAST UNTIL 2029.
TOTTENHAM CENTRE-BACK TARGETS: LACROIX NOT ALONE.
WHILE PALACE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR FORAYS INTO EUROPEAN COMPETITION, SPURS CAN BOAST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE INVOLVEMENT IN THE UPCOMING SEASON THANKS TO THEIR VICTORY IN THE EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL.
LACROIX PREVIOUSLY PLAYED IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WITH WOLFSBURG DURING THE 2021-22 SEASON. FELLOW SUITORS DORTMUND WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO OFFER PARTICIPATION IN THE TOP UEFA COMPETITION NEXT TERM.
AS CLARIFICATION OF HIS STANCE ON HIS FUTURE IS AWAITED, THOUGH, IT’S WORTH REMEMBERING THAT SPURS HAVE ALREADY BEEN LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR DEFENCE.
FOR EXAMPLE, REPORTS THIS WEEK HAVE EXPLAINED THAT TOTTENHAM HAVE REGISTERED THEIR INTEREST IN BOURNEMOUTH’S ILLYA ZABARNYI.
TEAMTALK HAS ALREADY REVEALED THIS SUMMER THAT PSG HAVE SEEN A €60M (£51.4M) BID FOR ZABARNYI REJECTED BY BOURNEMOUTH, WHO HAVE ALREADY SOLD ANOTHER DEFENDER, DEAN HUIJSEN, TO REAL MADRID.
OUR CORRESPONDENT RUDY GALETTI HAS ALSO HIGHLIGHTED SPURS’ INTEREST IN GENOA DEFENDER KONI DE WINTER, BUT INTER MILAN ARE ALSO ACTIVELY LOOKING AT HIM.
TOTTENHAM TRANSFER NEWS: GREEN LIGHT FOR MIDFIELD SIGNING
MEANWHILE, SPURS REMAIN KEEN ON ADDING TO THEIR MIDFIELD RANKS AHEAD OF THE NEW CAMPAIGN.
