How Tottenham could line up next season after Richarlison joins for £60m with Spence and Bremer linked with transfer
TOTTENHAM started the summer transfer window on fire, bringing in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on free deals before signing Yves Bissouma from Brighton and most recently Richarlison from Everton.
However, Antonio Conte will be hoping to see a whole lot more strengthening before the window closes and he is known to want his top targets in before Spurs jet off for their pre-season tour of South Korea on July 9.
Having already improved between the sticks, at left-wing-back, and in the engine room, Conte is thought to be looking for a new right wing-back, a left-centre-back and a central defender.
Tottenham had Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol down as their top two targets for the left-centre-back role this summer, although both now look impossible to complete.
Clement Lenglet has been mentioned as a back-up Spurs may visit late in the window, while Pau Torres, Evan Ndicka, and Piero Hincapie are more prominent targets.
Djed Spence appears to be the stand-out frontrunner for the right-wing-back role, although Wilfried Singo and Jonathan Clauss remain on the radar.
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Gleison Bremer’s representatives are rumoured to be in London this week for potential talks with Spurs about a centre-back vacancy.
Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon has also been linked in recent days.
So if all goes well, here’s how it could look next season:
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
Forster has clearly been signed as a deputy to the Frenchman after Pierluigi Gollini’s loan spell came to an end.
Lloris is still the club captain and is arguably showing his best form despite being 35 years of age.
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Right wing-back: Djed Spence
The deal for Middlesbrough right wing-back Djed Spence has rumbled on far longer than Spurs fans would have hoped, with Tottenham and Boro still apart on their valuations.
This could prove to be a crucial homegrown signing for the Lilywhites.
Right centre-back: Cristian Romero
Centre-backs often take a season to settle into the pace of the Premier League, but Cristian Romero’s aggressive, front-foot style defending seems to be a match made in heaven.
Centre-back: Eric Dier
One of the surprise packages of last season, Eric Dier seems to have found his home in the central sweeper role, a hybrid of his midfield and defender days.
Right centre-back: Piero Hincapie
With Tottenham’s top targets proving elusive, they may turn their attention to up-and-coming Ecuador and Bayer Leverkusen star Hincapie after an impressive debut Bundesliga season.
Left wing-back: Ivan Perisic
Conte is known to love signings that improve the team here and now, and Perisic certainly fits the bill.
Having played under the Italian at left wing-back for Inter Milan, he will likely be the first choice next season.
Central midfielder: Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur flew under the radar among rival fans last season, but he was instrumental in Tottenham’s charge to the top four, providing a nice blend of creativity and tenacity in the middle of the pitch.
Central midfielder: Yves Bissouma
In terms of box-to-box midfielders, few in the Premier League can match Yves Bissouma over the last few years and Tottenham did well to get him at a relative bargain price.
Right forward: Richarlison
Tottenham’s fourth signing of the summer, Richarlison will likely rotate with Kulusevski, Son and Kane across that front three, or even partner Kane in a Conte 3-5-2.
Striker: Harry Kane
Surprise, surprise, Harry Kane will remain the first name on the team sheet for Spurs.
Left forward: Son Heung-min
Last season, Son stepped up and showed that he is no longer a warm-up act for Kane as the South Korean outscored the England captain and hauled himself on to the same world-class shelf.
Nine-man bench
Fraser Forster, Matt Doherty, Ryan Sessegnon, Gleison Bremer, Lucas Moura, Dejan Kulusevski, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Ben Davies.
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