Work has begun to strengthen Antonio Conte’s Tottenham squad for next season. Presently in the hunt for a top-four spot, Spurs had to bring the Italian in to steady the ship following a disastrous start to the campaign under the then manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
With the course corrected, director Fabio Paratici and his team have prioritised the one position they would like to strengthen next summer: the left-sided central defender of Conte’s back three. A report from The Athletic states the same.
Ben Davies has played the role superbly since Conte’s arrival, and he was even on the scoresheet in Spurs’ latest league win – a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle United. However, the club is targeting young, emerging, and aggressive defenders from all over Europe – with RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni leading the shortlist.
Gvardiol has enjoyed a breakout season with Die Roten Bullen – his very first in a European top-five league. Versatile enough to play as either the left-back – which he does for the Croatian national team – or the left-sided centre-back, Gvardiol has been a mainstay in the Leipzig team currently challenging for a top-four spot in the Bundesliga.
Elsewhere, Bastoni has supplanted his breakthrough season with another remarkable one. Having made the left-sided slot in the back three his under Conte last season, he has continued to impress under Simone Inzaghi; the 22-year-old has accumulated just over 2000 minutes this season for the title-challenging Nerazzurri.
Since bringing in either Gvardiol or Bastoni would be challenging and expensive, Spurs have also added some alternatives to their shortlist. Lille’s Sven Botman is a target – as he is for plenty of top European sides – but the Dutchman is seemingly on his way to AC Milan after the Rossoneri entered advanced talks to sign him for next season.
Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck, too, is on the list, but likewise, he is reportedly closing in on a transfer to Borussia Dortmund this postseason.
