There has been a common theme with regard to Tottenham Hotspur‘s recruitment in recent times, with the Lilywhites having regularly looked to Italy in order to find potential gems who can go on to thrive in English football.
Previously, with Antonio Conte at the helm – backed by sporting director Fabio Paratici – the north London outfit notably snapped up the likes of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie from Atalanta and Udinese, respectively, with the latter man belatedly joining the club this summer.
Even under Ange Postecoglou in the most recent window, the club again turned to Serie A in order to acquire goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, with the relatively unknown quantity proving a real “revelation” in the Premier League thus far, as described by Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher.
One of the most notable deals involving Spurs and an Italian outfit came back in January 2022, however, with Conte and Paratici managing to strike a double swoopfor the signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus.
Following the success of that high-profile deal – with Kulusevski only recently signing permanently following an 18-month loan stint – Postecoglou could well be set to take inspiration from his predecessor by plotting another raid on the Old Lady in 2024.
Spurs transfer news
According to a report from Spain earlier this week, Tottenham are said to be interested in signing both Samuel Iling-Junior and Matias Soule from the Turin giants, with the club seemingly preparing a ‘double offer’ for the duo in January.
While Postecoglou and co could face rival interest from Newcastle United, they will seemingly be hoping to steal a march on their top-flight rivals, ahead of the window opening in just over a weeks time.
As per the piece, Soule – who is currently on loan at fellow Serie A side, Frosinone – is valued at around €25m (£22m) by Max Allegri’s side, while fellow youngster, Iling-Junior, is likely to command a fee closer to €18m (£16m), according to a prior report from TuttoMercatoWeb.
Coughing up in the region of £38m to sign the emerging talents – who are both 20 – could well prove to be a bargain move as far as Postecoglou is concerned, with the pair looking to emulate the success of Kulusevski and Bentancur at N17.
Kulusevski and Bentancur’s record at Tottenham
In the case of Bentancur, it is fair to say that his time in England so far has largely been disrupted by injury, with the Uruguayan notably missing a fair chunk of 2023 with an ACL issue that he sustained back in February.
When the playmaker has been fit and available, however, he has shone at the heart of the midfield at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, chipping in with a respectable haul of six goals and six assistsfrom just 48 appearances in all competitions.
The “immense” and “underrated”midfielder – as described by broadcaster Adam Smith – has certainly proven value for money despite his stint on the sidelines, having cost the club an initial fee of just £15.7m.
As for Kulusevski, the Swede has been an undoubted success even despite a difficult individual and collective campaign last season, in which he scored just twiceacross all fronts – albeit while registering eight assists.
Prior to that, the 23-year-old had sparkled in the second half of the 2021/22 season following his arrival in north London, having contributed to 13 goals and assistsin just 18 league games as Conte’s men secured a top-four berth.
Such electric form has been replicated this time around, with the one-time Parma man – who has earned comparisons to a certain Gareth Bale following his display against Nottingham Forest last time out – starting every league game this season, while scoring five goals and contributing two assists.
It is fair to say then that Spurs truly did strike gold by signing both Kulusevski and Bentancur under Conte’s watch, with the aim now for Postecoglou to replicate that masterclass in the case of Soule and Illing-Junior.
Samuel Iling-Junior’s style of play
Once on the books of Chelsea, Iling-Junior made the bold move to join Juve back in 2020, having since gone on to feature 24 times in all competitions for the Serie A side at first-team level.
While far from being a regular fixture under Allegri, the England U21 international has impressed when he has been given an opportunity to date, registering one goal and three assists from his left-sided berth.
In the younger age groups, the Islington-born menace – who typically features as a wing-back, or in a central midfield berth – showed his undoubted potential after scoring 14 goals and registering 15 assistsin just 58 games for Juve’s U19 side.
Described as a “flamboyant winger” and noted for his “pace”, “acceleration” and “athleticism” – as per talent scout Jacek Kulig – Iling-Junior seemingly has the tools to sparkle in Postecoglou’s attack-minded and relentless style, with it a scary thought to consider the combination of himself and Udogie down the left flank.
It would also be a mouthwatering prospect to consider young Soule also following his Juve teammate back to England, with the Argentine currently shining out on loan in Italy’s top-flight.
Matias Soule’s season by numbers
Much like the Englishman, Soule was also plucked from his homeland back in 2020 after leaving Velez Sarsfield in order to make the move to Europe, yet has seen opportunities hard to come by at his parent club.
After making only 21 appearances over the last few years, the wing wizard was sent out to Frosinone in order to gain some much-needed senior experience, with that move more than paying off amid his heroics of late.
Despite his relative youth, the 6 foot sensation has already scored six times in just 14 Serie A games this season, notably impressing also due to his “superb dribbling skills” – as noted by the aforementioned Kulig.
The in-demand talent has successfully completed 4.4 dribbles per game in the league in 2023/24 and averages a remarkable 2.9 key passes per game as a marker of his immense creativity – with Kulusevski, for contrast, averaging just 1.7 and 2.3 for those same two metrics, respectively.
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