Why Tottenham must make a January swoop for Andrea Ranocchia
Tottenham Hotspur are one of the exciting sides in the Premier League, managed by a relatively young and dynamic Mauricio Pochettino. Under the Argentine, Tottenham have improved leaps and bounds but have always fallen short right at the business end of the season.
Tottenham finished third in the Premier League table last season but failed to sign a single player during the summer transfer window. Despite not spending a single penny in the summer, Spurs are still expected to mount a significant title challenge, but they have struggled in the opening few weeks.
There has been plenty of concern regarding Harry Kane’s form, the team’s defensive problems and the delay in the completion of their new stadium. Pochettino’s men began their season in solid fashion though, winning their opening three league outings but were given a reality check at Watford.
Following the defeat to Watford, Spurs lost to Liverpool in the Premier League and were battered at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League last week. However, they bounced back last weekend with a disjointed 1-0 victory against Cardiff City in the Premier League.
To put things into perspective, Pochettino’s men have simply not done enough to be tipped for glory this season. One might argue that Spurs have made their joint-best start to a Premier League campaign but in hindsight, they have lacked quality in every department and Pochettino needs to add a couple of fresh faces in January to make his team challenge for the title.
One area Pochettino must shed light on is the defence, which has not looked solid this season.
The likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez have been far from their best, which has seen Tottenham leak some ordinary goals so far this campaign. Hence, to strengthen their backline, Tottenham must target Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia in January.
Andrea Ranocchia’s future remains up in the air under manager Luciano Spalletti. The Italian is lower down the pecking order at Inter as Spalletti has shown faith in the centre-back pairing of Milan Skriniar and Stefan De Vrij.
As things stand, Andrea Ranocchia is surplus to requirements at Inter and Spurs must take full advantage of the defender’s current situation.
Ranocchia is known for his rock solid presence at the heart of the defence, and the Italian has proved that he has the physical attributes to cope with the forceful nature of the English game when he spent his time on loan at Hull City in the 2016/17 campaign.
Standing at 6ft 5in, Ranocchia is a commanding presence in the box with a good knowledge of the game. He is also adept at reading the game and usually times his tackles to perfection. Due to his towering presence, the 30-year-old is also a threat from set-pieces.
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A player with volumes of European experience, Ranocchia would be a fantastic buy for Tottenham. The player’s leadership qualities and tactical intelligence would make Spurs’ defensive unit a tough nut to crack once more.