Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing defender Clement Lenglet, with a new report sharing why Barcelona are looking to move the player on once more.
Are Spurs signing Clement Lenglet?
Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy could be busy in the final days of the transfer window, according to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, who believes a new defender and attacker are wanted by Spurs.
The club have already brought in eight new players at a cost of £165m, but one man who has been heavily linked with a return to north London this summer is Lenglet.
Spurs paid around £115,000 of his £200,000-a-week salary last season during a loan deal from Barcelona, and a move is one to watch, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who recently said:
“Clement Lenglet could return to Tottenham. At the moment it’s not concrete or advanced, but in the final days of the window, in case Barcelona can’t find another solution for Lenglet, it could be one to watch.”
There has now been a further update, and it appears as if a deal is close to bring the Frenchman back to England.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Lenglet is still expected to leave the Catalan giants despite being registered as a La Liga player on Thursday. It is believed that Barcelona need to move on some squad members as they look to push through a deal for Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo.
The report says that Lenglet’s destiny will be the Premier League and ‘more specifically Tottenham’, although they don’t add whether it will be another loan move or a permanent deal.
How tall is Clement Lenglet?
Lenglet, who stands at 6ft 1, made 35 appearances in all competitions for Spurs last season and was hailed by Hugo Lloris, who said the defender is “very strong” and a “high level player” after he arrived.
“He’s a modern defender. Comfortable to be able to play from the back. He has a great left foot and can be very strong in one v one and he’s strong in the air.
“Even if it’s never easy when you arrive in the Premier League and he will have to adapt to the intensity of the games but he is a high level player, with experience.”
As per WhoScored, Lenglet ranked highly in the Tottenham side last season when it came to clearances per 90 and pass completion rate, with the defender even registering two assists in a Spurs shirt. Fast forward to today, though, and should he return to north London, Lenglet could be about to rival new signing Micky van de Ven for a starting spot.
He’d be working under a new manager in Postecoglou after previously turning out under Antonio Conte, and with the likes of Eric Dier up for sale in the final days of the window, there appears to be room for Lenglet to return.
A transfer looks as if it is imminent following these reports in Spain, so it will be one to keep an eye on over the coming days.
Republic of Ireland international Troy Parrott is “set” for a “shock” move away from Tottenham Hotspur as a report shares exit news out of the club.
Who will Spurs sell?
Spurs’ most headline-grabbing departure of the summer window is, of course, striker Harry Kane’s multi-million pound move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
The transfer, which could end up handing Tottenham a £103 million windfall dependent on certain add-ons, also leaves manager Ange Postecoglou with a glaring issue to resolve in the forward areas.
Kane joins the likes of midfielder Harry Winks, who signed for Leicester City earlier this window, and winger Lucas Moura after his contract expired on June 30.
Defender Joe Rodon also completed a season-long loan switch to Championship side Leeds United, and if Tottenham are to sign any more players before September 1, Postecoglou has said the club will need to ship more players out of his bloated squad.
“The reality of it is we can’t just keep acquiring players,” said the Spurs head coach.
“We’ve got too big a squad as it is. It affects the training, the players themselves because they all want to play and be involved.
“It’s not so much one has to happen for the other but our focus at the moment is trimming the squad down and seeing where that takes us in terms of reinforcements. We’re assessing that on a daily basis. There’s still two weeks to go in the window and I’m sure you’ll see some movement.”
Indeed, many more squad members could depart before deadline day, including the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Djed Spence, Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who have all been recently linked with moves away.
Another who is now on the chopping block is young striker Parrott, having spent last season on loan at Preston North End.
The 21-year-old has found it difficult to break into the Spurs first team, partly due to injuries, with a report from TEAMtalk now claiming he is “set” for a “shock” move away – as stated in their headline.
Indeed, Parrott is apparently very likely to make a move to the Eredivisie, but the club in question hasn’t been named. This comes after a cold shoulder from Postecoglou, who has “seemingly slammed” the door “tightly shut” on the striker.
Parrott himself is “eyeing up a move away” from Spurs after previously hoping to work his way into the new Tottenham manager’s plans.
What happened to Troy Parrott?
Scoring just three goals in 32 Championship appearances for PNE last term, a transfer could be one solution to resurrect Parrott’s stuttering career.
The player had expressed his ambition to play under Postecoglou, especially after watching him coach at Celtic, but it appears Parrott’s future may now be far from Tottenham.
