Ange Postecoglou could swap one English defender for another…
Tottenham Hotspur seem set to bolster their ranks further given their strong start to the window, with one more addition in their sights…
What’s the latest on Tosin Adarabioyo to Tottenham Hotspur?
Having secured the permanent signing of Dejan Kulusevski, and seemingly acquired goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, the latest on their pursuit of Tosin Adarabioyo comes from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to issue an update on the future of the Fulham centre-back.
The Italian journalist wrote: “Tosin Adarabioyo is one of the options monitored by Tottenham as [a] new centre-back as he has decided to leave Fulham.”This interest was supplemented through the words of writer Fabrice Hawkins, who suggested the west London outfit will seek to recoup at most €15m (£13m) if they are to allow their star defender to leave. His acquisition could also spell bad news for Eric Dier, given the 6 foot 5 ace arguably offers a huge upgrade on the struggling stalwart.
Would Tosin Adarabioyo improve Tottenham Hotspur?
The 25-year-old has been an ever-present figure in Marco Silva’s Craven Cottage revolution, helping guide them up from the Championship and onto an unprecedented tenth-placed finish, in which European football was at one point a serious possibility for the promoted side.
Whilst the £40k-per-week stopper has been masterminding his rise to prominence, Dier has arguably seen a large drop-off in recent years. Despite featuring 361 times for the Lilywhites, last term marked one of his weakest amid all the turmoil and manager upheaval.
The 29-year-old almost acts as a lightning rod for criticism in north London, when in reality, the England international has been hung out to dry given a viable replacement has never really been secured.His 6.86 average rating during that aforementioned campaign was beaten by Adarabioyo’s 6.89 figure, largely upheld through an 82% pass accuracy, 71% dribble success rate, 1.2 tackles and 5.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
The ability to always be in the right place to remove danger, yet swan out of defence with poise and confidence, makes the former Manchester City gem the archetypal modern-day central defender. Journalist Peter Rutzler even suggested that his acquisition for such a nominal fee was “ridiculous” business, and they are now set to make a keen profit.
Meanwhile, Dier has been branded “nowhere near” good enough for the club by pundit Darren Ambrose, which FBref appears to emphasise. Defensively, the £85k-per-week dud’s greatest strength is his aerials won per 90, but even then, he only ranks in the top 24% when compared to top centre-backs across Europe.Meanwhile, Adarabioyo obviously excels in his ability to get the ball away to safety, and when pitted against the same group, ranks in the top 2% for clearances per 90.
To further outline the gulf in quality, it is worth showcasing that the Cottagers conceded ten fewer goals than Spurs last season, despite the quality of their team on paper being far worse.
He would surely come in and add some much-needed composure and solidity to a fragile defence that Ange Postecoglou has been tasked with fixing. For the touted sum too, it would be a shrewd way to slowly remove Dier from his starting role.
