In a few months, Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur will walk onto the grass and align to sing the Champions League tune. They will compete among Europe’s elite, and they will be determined to wade deep into the competition.
With Ange Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged side languishing so pitifully low in the Premier League, triumph in the Europa League became not so much a goal as a means of survival, a way of stopping the rot that had crept over a dusty trophy cabinet for so many years.
The Australian coach is now immortal, his brazen comments at the start of the 2024/25 campaign now a most incredible declaration of faith in his title-winning pedigree.
But change was needed, and change has been enforced. While Spurs are pushing ahead with the signing of West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus after seeing an initial £50m offer rejected (positive talks are continuing and the player wants the move), defensive additions are surely needed after such a leaky year.
The latest on Tottenham's defensive situation
Tottenham were pretty awful at the rear last season. While injuries played a big part in the drama, Postecoglou should have done better with curbing his side’s fragilities.
16.
Tottenham
17th
65
17.
Wolves
16th
69
18.
Leicester
18th
80
19.
Ipswich
19th
82
20.
Southampton
20th
86
Cristian Romero has spent portions of the past two campaigns sidelined through injury, but he’s still one of the best centre-backs in the world, and Atletico Madrid’s efforts to sign the 27-year-old for around £60m are concerning to say the least.
Frank wants to keep the Argentina titan at Spurs, but money talks, and no mistake.
Should he leave, a replacement will certainly be required. And as per Caught Offside, Tottenham have joined Man United and Newcastle United in lining up a move for Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini, who is available this summer for around €60m (£51m).
In fact, the outlet believe that this incipient transfer saga could develop in the coming weeks, with clubs preparing to open dialogues with the Serie A side.
Scalvini, 22, also has suitors in Italy, so Spurs will want to be swift in their bid.
Why Giorgio Scalvini could replace Cristian Romero
Curiously, when Tottenham Hotspur signed Romero, they signed him from Atalanta for £42m. Now, Daniel Levy and his suited coterie are in for another talented defender hailing from Bergamo.
For sure, Scalvini isn’t the finished article, and some would harbour reservations following a frustrating 2024/25 campaign that was utterly wrecked by injury issues, leaving him with only eight appearances across all competitions and four starts in the league.
However, he had previously enjoyed a lightning-fast start to life in his homeland, capped by Italy as a teenager and heralded by journalist Noah Murray for having the ‘potential to become one of the best centre-backs on the planet’.
Romero’s excellence is defined by his athleticism, tenacity and technical ability. He’s the real deal, all right, with a slight madness about him that is true for all the best central defenders.
Scalvini has a certain ill temperment about him too, picking up three yellow cards in Serie A. This isn’t inherently a good thing, of course, but it does illustrate a battle-hardened determination that Frank will need to set things straight in Spurs’ backline.
Moreover, when looking at how Romero ranks up against Scalvini (with the latter’s metrics drawn from the 2023/24 campaign due to the shallow pool from last term), you can see that Tottenham might hit the jackpot in signing the young star.
Goals + assists
0.06
0.14
Touches
87.52
65.94
Pass completion
89.5%
81.3%
Progressive passes
4.51
4.10
Shot-creating actions
1.27
1.52
Progressive carries
0.76
1.06
Successful take-ons
0.06
0.53
Ball recoveries
5.72
5.77
Tackles + interceptions
3.56
3.96
Clearances
3.62
2.51
Aerial duels (%)
2.61 (60%)
2.82 (67%)
Make no mistake, this is a “top-class” young player, as has been noted by talent scout Jacek Kulig. Scalvini’s total of 107 appearances for his side’s senior side since breaking from the academy is an impressive thing indeed, especially when considering that the 21-year-old featured so nominally last year.
He would need time and patience and high-level coaching to become a superstar at Tottenham, but Frank has definitely earned his stripes tactically and is a more composed and structured manager than Postecoglou, with his Brentford sides always rooted in sound defensive principles.
He would big boots to step into, but Scalvini wouldn’t be replacing a player of fixed position at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Let’s explain: as brilliant as Romero is, he has only started 18 Premier League matches in 2024/25. In fact, the Argentine has only started in excess of 30 top-flight games once across his four years on English soil.
With Kevin Danso’s loan move shaped into a permanent role for the Lilywhites, Frank could score a blinder in bringing Scalvini over, a player whose quality is so high that he has been priced at a rather lofty £51m despite having featured so nominally last year. A final reminder that this dynamic defender is only 21.
If Tottenham can sell Romero, bring Scalvini over and still manage to turn a profit, there’s every chance that this club could go from strength to strength next season.
There is a lot of work to be completed, but with Prem-proven attacking quality hopefully arriving in the mould of Kudus, and Scalvini, one of the most exciting young centre-backs in the world being targeted, last year’s clinched silverware truly might prove to be the bedrock of a sustained success for Tottenham.
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