Tottenham Hotspur may have recruited well this summer, but manager Ange Postecoglou could be set to take one huge risk in an effort to gain a huge reward…
Who are Tottenham Hotspur signing this summer?
With the key acquisition of James Maddison underpinning a stellar window thus far, already it seems like their new system is slowly clicking into place.
Offensively they are free-flowing and brilliant to watch at times, and yet defensively they remain staunch.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
However, Cristian Romero remains somewhat unpredictable despite the key assets that underpin this new revolution, with his recklessness and injury record leaving his side short at times.
Therefore, perhaps the north London outfit could be set to secure an alternative for him, and a fine partner for their other new signing Micky Van de Ven, by reigniting their interest in Manchester United’s Harry Maguire.
It is expected that the Red Devils are holding out for a fee of around £40m.
Who is Harry Maguire moving to?
Whilst a host of clubs have been linked with a swoop for the out-of-favour ace, it seems like an opportunity has now opened up for the Lilywhites to take a solo swing to tempt him after West Ham United dropped out of the running.
Unwilling to wait for the 30-year-old to negotiate his payout to depart Old Trafford, they instead opted for the Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.
So, now the England international could be set to move to a different part of the capital, bolstering Postecoglou’s squad with his stellar ball-playing assets.
As a side that seeks to largely dominate the ball, having maintained a 63% possession across their two Premier League games thus far, Maguire could dominate when allowed to stride out from the back and forge chances from the back.
After all, pundit Kenny Cunningham boldly claimed after he completed his £80m move to Manchester:
“Harry #Maguire is the best ball-playing centre-half in football at the moment.”
This was best exemplified during the 2020/21 campaign, where he featured 34 times in the league and kept 13 clean sheets, maintaining an 87% pass accuracy alongside 1.8 interceptions and 3.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
With a manager that shows faith in him, he can be both a defensive hero as well as a ball-playing leader too.
The former was best exemplified through Erik ten Hag’s claims back in March, as the Dutchman noted:
“He is more dominant and dictating, taking more initiative on the training pitch and we saw in Seville against Betis where he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictation of the game.”
Pairing the right-footed stalwart with Van de Ven could offer the perfect balance at the back for Postecoglou’s all-action philosophy, with his physical assets also ideal to offer a counter for Maguire’s lack of speed.
Whilst Richard Dunne suggested he was “painfully slow”, Postecoglou's summer signing has instead been lauded for his pace by Wolfsburg’s sporting director Marcel Schäfer. He too outlined those balancing qualities:
“Left foot, extreme speed, plays every second. Micky [has performed] consistently very well throughout the season.
“He’s a player with huge potential and this season in particular has shown incredible development, playing himself into the spotlight with his performances.”
Whilst Romero and Van de Ven have already struck a fine partnership, Maguire could reignite a stuttering career in north London by joining Postecoglou’s revolution.
