journalist believes Tottenham Hotspur could enjoy a dream renaissance under the 41-year-old manager if these four key players are signed.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly interested in making Xabi Alonso the club’s new manager as he searches for a long-term replacement for Antonio Conte.
The Bayer Leverkusen boss is highly regarded in the footballing world and would be an ambitious, albeit bold, appointment as the club looks to the future.
Alonso would have a huge influence on potential signings as players look to work with one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
Here, Express Sport takes a speculative look at who he could convince in north London as Spurs aim for a revival after a difficult season.
Florian Wirtz Wirtz is the most exciting attacking talent in the Leverkusen team and the German team in general.
He took over after nine months out with a knee injury, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in 20 games this season.
Tottenham are in dire need of creativity in central positions and Wirtz has plenty of it.
Plus, at just 20 years old, he is someone who could become one of the best players in the world while in north London, as part of Tottenham’s long-term plans.
He would be a big problem for the Lilywhites and would be at the top of their wish list if they decide to sign Alonso.
Piero Hincapie Tottenham have been poor defensively at times this season as a leaky backline has negated much of Harry Kane’s future good work.
If they decide to appoint Alonso, he could help them sign a player they have been frequently linked with over the past 12 months: Ecuadorian midfielder Hincapie.
The 21-year-old is one of the best young defenders in world football and could replace Ben Davies and Clement Lenglet on the left side of defence.
A number of other clubs have also been linked with Hincapie, but Alonso’s presence could give Spurs the ultimate advantage.
Edmund Tapsoba Tottenham’s defense this season is so bad that a new arrival is unlikely to be enough if they want to return to the top of the Premier League.
In particular, Eric Dier’s performance left much to be desired and was in dire need of a replacement.
Tapsoba could be an option after playing with Hincapie and Alonso at Leverkusen.
The 24-year-old is a solid presence at the back and is expected to improve under the pressure of playing in the Premier League, giving the Lilywhites the opportunity to transform their backline.
Martín Zubimendi Alonso’s connections extend beyond Leverkusen, as he was in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team before joining the senior management.
Zubimendi was one of the players under his direction before excelling in the first team.
Tottenham’s midfield needs to improve further as the whole team is having difficulty whenever Rodrigo Bentancur is not playing.
The Spaniard could be an option, complementing the industrious Pierre-Emilie Hojbjerg while the Uruguayan sits out before joining him again.
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