Tottenham Hotspur can proudly boast of having one of the best defensive pairings in the Premier League. In the Belgian duo of Jan Verthongen and Toby Alderweireld, Spurs have two center backs who are at the peak of their abilities. Both of them had a similar upbringing, coming through together at the famed Ajax academy and this very much shows in their game.
But an injury to either one of them usually spells trouble for a Spurs team that started off inconsistently, but now look like they could make the title race interesting. Their attacking unit has stepped up big time and this has given confidence to all the players and the defense has been rock-solid, taking a leaf out of the attacking players’ book.
If there is something Spurs lack, it is the depth in their squad in the defensive areas. The likes of Federico Fazio, Vlad Chiriches, Younes Kaboul and Michael Dawson have left the club in recent years while Kevin Wimmer seems destined for a return to the Bundesliga after a relatively mediocre stay in England. So it’s only inevitable that Mauricio Pochettino will look to bring in defensive cover in the summer.
The fact that Spurs are now playing with 3 center backs also means that the number of personnel at Poch’s disposal should be high and he could look to enter the transfer market in order to bring in players who are capable of replicating the defensive solidarity of Verthongen and Alderweireld.
Here are 3 players that Spurs should target in the summer –
Stefan De Vrij
De Vrij is a Netherlands international who currently plies his trade in Italy with Lazio. He started off at Feyenoord and impressed one and all there before earning himself a move to Italy, where he has been a hit for his defensive performances. Spurs would seriously benefit from the acquisition of such a talented player, who is only 24 despite being around the corner for quite some time now.