Tottenham Hotspur appear to be keen to add their defensive ranks on transfer deadline day, amid reports that Ange Postecoglou‘s side are eyeing a surprise late move for a current Premier League centre-back…
Who will Tottenham sign on Deadline Day?
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Lilywhites are believed to be mulling over a potential swoop for Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly, with the suggestion being that the north London outfit would even be willing to include long-serving asset Eric Dier as part of a deal for the 24-year-old.
Writing on Twitter, the respected journalist stated: “EXCL: Tottenham considering possible move for Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth in last 24h. No formal bid/concrete yet as depends on outgoings, Spurs need players to leave. Bournemouth would need to replace Kelly, not easy; also Eric Dier could be offered as part of deal.”
How good is Lloyd Kelly?
While Postecoglou and co have already bolstered the backline with the signing of Micky van de Ven earlier in the summer, there had been previous claims that the club were interested in signing at least one more central defender before the close of the window, amid prior links to the likes of Clement Lenglet and Edmond Tapsoba.
Having shipped a dismal tally of 63 league goals last term, it is easy to see why those at N17 are so eager to find increased depth for the defensive unit, with the ex-Celtic boss currently set to be particularly reliant on both Van de Ven and Cristian Romero for the remainder of the campaign.
With that in mind, it does appear to make sense to push to bring in a new recruit before tonight’s deadline, although whether Kelly is a suitable target is another matter altogether, with Spurs supporters likely to be concerned at the fact that the Englishman has been likened to Davinson Sanchez as part of Football Transfers’ ‘Similar Players’ list.
That comparison will spark a sense of trepidation among the Tottenham faithful as Sanchez has endured a miserable time of it of late in the capital, with the Colombian international memorably being booed by the home crowd following a short, erratic cameo against the Cherries last season.
Branded “one of the worst players” to have played for the club, in the eyes of talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara, the 27-year-old appears to be a player that Postecoglou is desperate to get rid of over the coming hours, having only recently missed the crucial spot-kick in the penalty shootout defeat to Fulham in the Carabao Cup, with the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick writing that the player ‘struggled with and without the ball in a desperate first-half display’.
To think then that a possible clone of Sanchez could be about to be snapped up in the form of Kelly – who has been valued at just €5m (£4m) by CIES Football Observatory – is a real worry, with the pair also alike due to their statistical record in recent times.
That likeness can be seen by the fact that the duo are hardly adept at winning back possession for their respective sides, with Kelly ranking in just the bottom 29% among those in his position in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions made per 90, while his Spurs counterpart ranks in the bottom 36% in that regard.
Equally, the Bournemouth brute – who has at least been lauded for his “aggressive” style in the past by former boss Scott Parker – has hardly set the world alight so far this term after making just a solitary league start for the south coast side, with it hard to see the wisdom in Tottenham making the effort to bring him to north London.
