Tottenham Hotspur could look to sign another centre-back alongside the imminent arrival of Cristian Romero…
What’s the word?
That’s according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who claims that ‘there is a feeling that the Argentine will need a leader alongside him in the backline’ and, as a result, other central defenders will be ‘looked at.’
Spurs have been linked to several names throughout the summer, including Bologna’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is expected to complete a move to the club following the Olympic Games.
However, he lacks the experience and leadership that Fabio Paratici is clearly desiring.
Imagine him and Romero
One familiar target doesn’t, though.
As per Football Insider, the North Londoners have opened preliminary talks to sign Wolves skipper Conor Coady, a player who Nuno Santo knows very, very well.
It’s thought that the Portuguese is pushing hard to sign his former captain, a player he regarded as his “lieutenant” at Molineux.
If Spurs want to find themselves a new leader to play alongside Romero, then they should look no further than Coady.
The 28-year-old, who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, saw his career transformed by the new Lilywhites boss. Having started out as a central midfielder, Coady went on to play 191 times under Nuno, primarily as a centre-back.
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“He typifies what a leader should be,” claimed former teammate Adam Morgan to The Athletic.
Indeed, Coady earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020, even despite Wolves’ struggles on the pitch throughout the 2020/21 season.
Three Lions assistant Steve Holland even dubbed him the “player of the tournament” for his impact behind the scenes. “He’s not got on the pitch yet, but on the training pitch he gives everything,” he told the BBC (via the Express and Star). “In the dressing room before the game, he speaks like he’s captain despite the fact he’s not been on the pitch yet. That’s incredibly difficult to do.”
Aside from those evident leadership qualities, Coady is a phenomenal ball-playing defender, having never dipped below 84.3% passing accuracy in his last three Premier League campaigns.
Also described as a “machine” by former Scotland manager Alex McLeish, the Liverpool-born colossus is only on wages of around £55k-per-week, which could make him a very affordable and viable option before this month’s transfer deadline.
Coady is obviously a player with whom the Spurs boss is familiar and that would only benefit the club tenfold. “He’s certainly a player Nuno likes,” claimed Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield to Football FanCast.
He would need no time to settle in and that makes him a very nice option to pair up with the incoming Atalanta beast.
Paratici must act on Nuno’s wishes and secure the England international. He and Romero would be one formidable partnership in the top-flight.
AND in other news, Spurs must secure “phenomenal” £25m-rated dynamo with “magical powers”, Nuno needs him…