Victor Nelsson of Galatasaray has been linked with a summer move to Tottenham.
Nelsson, who has played only a few minutes for the Turkish club this season, has stated that he would not be extending his contract. This coincides with a renewed interest from the Spurs, who are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements.
Tottenham have also been linked with a move for winger Kerem Akturkoglu, one of Nelsson’s teammates.
The need for another center back has been prevalent all season, with starters Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven rarely getting subbed off.
As any football fan knows, the strain of so many minutes only increases the risk of injury. A player who can come off the bench to relieve Romero or VDV is a crucial and currently lacking facet to the squad.
Nelsson, now 25, is entering into what should be the brightest years of his playing career. On top of that, he’s been nearly completely injury free thus far.
While the jump from the Süper Lig to the Premier League is certainly something to take into consideration, Nelsson has years of senior football under his belt.
While he’s not the fastest player on the pitch, he has great vision and would likely be able to pass out of the back as is customary in Ange’s preferred style of play.
A number of different price tags have been thrown around, but transfermrkt currently list him at about £16.5m.
While the potential to sign a new center back is certainly a relief for supporters, there is interest from other clubs like Fulham to consider. Additionally, it’s unclear how much of a priority Nelsson actually is, with a number of other, and arguably more talented players, currently available for a move.
For the long term, Ange will need Johan Lange and Daniel Levy to both work towards finding suitable back up options. Two new defenders by next summer, with one coming in through the January window, could be a realistic outcome.
Then again, with recent injuries to Spurs wingers like Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon, along with continued below-average performances from Richarlison, a new winger such as the previously mentioned Kerem Akturkoglu is not out of the question.