Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Udinese striker Beto this summer to ease starring talisman Harry Kane’s workload, according to recent reports.
What’s the latest on Beto to Tottenham?
That’s according to one Spanish outlet, who claim that Spurs – alongside Bayern Munich, Napoli and Real Madrid – could secure the services of the formidable forward.
Beto is valued at €30m (£26m) by his Serie A outfit – the fee a clause in his contract – and with I Bianconeri unwilling to conduct business for a lesser fee, the interested suitors are yet to commence negotiations.
With recent reports that Bayern are pushing for the transfer of Kane, reaching an agreement in principle despite facing an obstinate hurdle in Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, the requirement to sign a new first-rate forward is only magnified.
Should Tottenham sign Beto?
While the emphasis at Tottenham this summer will be on bolstering the backline and restoring balance to the squad through eradicating the seasonal issues of a leaky defence, targetting a centre-forward is certainly not a bad shout.
Manager Ange Postecoglou will have his work cut out in replenishing Spurs after an eighth-placed finish confirmed European football to be outside the side’s reach next year, and Beto would add a new dimension to the fold.
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Standing at 6 foot 4, the £3k-per-week ace has maintained a steady rate of scoring in Italy, bagging ten times in Serie A last term before netting 11 strikes this time around.
The Brazilian menace would also add a new dimension to the fold, offering greater physicality than Kane and perhaps utilising his imposing stature to serve as a conduit, and a focal point from which the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski could wreak havoc with well-timed inversions.
This is evidenced through FBref, with the 25-year-old ranking among the top 18% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 11% for clearances, the top 26% for interceptions and the top 25% for aerials won per 90.
The consistency within the top quarter of positional peers across the aforementioned metrics illustrates an aptitude in physicality across the park.
And for all Kane’s excellence – having scored 30 goals from 38 league matches this year – he ranks below the bottom 50% mark for each defensive statistic FBref has to offer.
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Reporter Sam Tighe even said: “The way Beto spooks defenders is amazing. Chuck a ball into the channel for him to chase and even if he doesn’t latch onto it, defenders panic under his pressure and end up making the craziest decisions or panicked clearances.”
With statistical likeness to Alexander Mitrovic and Ollie Watkins, with the Fulham striker hailed as a “monster” by Andy Naylor while Aston Villa’s goal-happy striker has been dubbed “lethal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, the Lilywhites would secure a gem with qualities fit for Premier League football.
He would bring a brutish presence and a new angle for the attack, Kane is one of Europe’s foremost forwards and deserves all the plaudits for his prolific brilliance and leadership skills, but perhaps what the club needs is a new striker to add something different when the situation demands it.
Ange Postecoglou is keen to strengthen a porous Tottenham backline in this summer’s transfer window.
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Tottenham Hotspur have frequently sent scouts to keep an eye on Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, who could be available for as little as £45m according to Fabrizio Romano.
Are Tottenham signing Tapsoba?
Now in charge of a defence that was in disarray last season, Ange Postecoglou has no time to waste in strengthening his backline this summer.
Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier have been tipped to leave Tottenham this window, while loanee Clement Lenglet has returned to Barcelona, meaning that Postecoglou is likely to need new faces to make up the numbers in defence.
One of those that has been readily linked with a move to north London is Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen. The Burkina Faso international has blossomed into one of the Bundesliga’s best central defenders and it seems inevitable that he will move onto bigger and better things this summer.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano insisted that Spurs are one of the leading candidates for his signature, having claimed that Tottenham’s scouts have frequently gone to watch the 24-year-old.
“I keep saying that Tapsoba is a priority target because they [Spurs] love Tapsoba. Tottenham scouts have been there many times this year to follow Tapsoba. So, he is a player they really love and they feel is perfect for Premier League football.”
“He is a leader. So, there are many factors in a deal and Tottenham think he is a fantastic option”.
When quizzed about how much he thought Tapsoba would fetch in the current market, Romano suggested approximately £45-50m, potentially with some add-ons. The top end of that valuation, excluding add-ons, would make him Spurs’ second most expensive player of all-time, as per Tranfsermarkt.
Tapsoba, who has been hailed as “frightening”, is not the only defensive name on Spurs’ shortlist, however, with Marc Guehi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Micky van de Ven all having been linked.
Would Tapsoba make Spurs better?
Having featured 33 times in the Bundesliga last season and five times in the Champions League, Tapsoba was given plenty of opportunities to progress, and he took those opportunities.
Tapsoba is a modern centre-back and is comfortable stepping out of defence and moving the ball directly up the pitch. Compared to other centre-backs in the Bundesliga last season, he ranked in the top 13% for progressive carries per 90 (1.25) and the top 10% for progressive passes (5.30).
He is good under pressure, rarely gifting possession to the opposition, and generally employs a good range of accurate passing. However, his major strength is one-v-one defending, with the 24-year-old coming out on top on 71.4% of occasions he is dribbled at.
Spurs’ defensive shoddiness last season must be improved upon if they have any hope of returning to the Champions League places, with Taposba potentially being a solid foundation on which Postecoglou can build.
