Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min in action with Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo
Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is “keen” on joining Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs expected to make an offer for him this summer.
Tottenham aims to strengthen their central defense, with manager Ange Postecoglou looking to sign two new senior center-backs.
Adarabioyo had an impressive season at Fulham and is known for his ability to play out from the back, which aligns with Postecoglou’s attack-minded style of play.
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Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is “keen” on joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer and they’re expected to make an offer, according to reports.
Who will Spurs sign?
The north Londoners have officially confirmed three major signings so far, having sealed moves for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, England midfielder James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.
The goal now for manager Ange Postecoglou is to strengthen in central defence, with there being a belief that he will attempt to sign two new senior centre-backs this summer, not including a potential deal for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.
Postecoglou, when asked about arrivals to strengthen a leaky Spurs backline which conceded 63 league goals last season, admitted that his side are chasing cover for that area of the squad.
“That’s definitely our intention, absolutely,” said the Lilywhites head coach.
“We’ve been working on it for a while and we’ll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.
“I don’t think it’s any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.”
In terms of who Spurs could sign, there have been a fair star defenders linked, including Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet, Galatasary’s Victor Nelsson, Juventus defender Gleison Bremer and, of course, Adarabioyo.
The latter man enjoyed a fine season at Fulham last campaign with Marco Silva’s side comfortably avoiding relegation and finishing in the top half.
Adarabioyo’s form has seemingly alerted Tottenham as they search for more cover at the back, with reliable journalist Alasdair Gold of football.london sharing what he’s heard.
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Writing a Spurs transfer update on Twitter, he claims there is a growing expectation Postecoglou’s side will table a bid for the ex-Man City starlet.
In a boost for Tottenham, it is added that the 25-year-old is keen to make the move to N17. However, they can’t “hang around”, as other sides also hold an interest in Adarabioyo.
“Also understand there is a growing expectation Spurs will make a bid for Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo as one CB arrival,” wrote Gold.
“The 25-year-old is believed to be keen on the move and Spurs have shown a lot of interest in him. Again, they can’t hang around though.”
How good is Tosin Adarabioyo?
The 6 foot 5 defender was one of Fulham’s best performers by average match rating last season, according to WhoScored, with Adarabioyo also averaging more clearances per 90 than anyone in their squad.
Only Aleksandar Mitrovic won more aerial duels per 90 than the Englishman (WhoScored), who has also been praised by members of the media for his “magnificent” performances at Craven Cottage in recent seasons.
Silva has even praised Adarabioyo’s ability to play out from the back, an aspect of his game which could be enticing for Postecoglou given his fluid, attack-minded style.
“And with Tosin, we know what we expect from him,” said Silva to the media (via The Boot Room).
“Of course, quality on the ball in the first build-up, to find the players between the lines. Tosin had a good game and did what we expected.”
