The arrival of Fabio Paratici at Spurs is expected to transform the team into setting up with a three-man defence formation, with both front-runners for the manager job Nuno Espirito Santo and Graham Potter favouring systems like that.
However, the club currently aren’t in the best position to deploy a formation with three defenders, with just one player who can fill in the defence who has a left foot – back-up left-back Ben Davies.
🗣"They make it tough for you."
Ben Davies previews the test #WAL face when they play #DEN in the round of 16 at #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/DEC6scqe4l
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 22, 2021
Nuno is the most likely manager to take over at this stage, and he is definitely a fan of players like Davies who are versatile and can fit into the system anyway possible, having coached the likes of Romain Saiss, Leander Dendoncker and Max Kilman who have all filled in a number of roles at Wolves over the last few seasons.
Davies, 28, has played as a left-sided centre-back on a number of occasions for his national team Wales, but has yet to really prove himself in the position at Spurs since joining from Swansea City back in 2014.
Napoli are following #Tottenham left-back Ben Davies. (@RaiSport)
— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) June 21, 2021
Italian club Napoli are interested in the Welshman, but the club are holding out for €30 million as finding a replacement would be difficult.
Despite his lack of experience in the role, Fabio Paratici believes that the defender’s adaptability makes him a player that the club should keep as opposed to sell, with left-footed centre-backs in demand this summer as their importance in the modern game grows – and quantity of them available remains the same.
No wonder we can't sell anyone when we value Ben Davies at €30m😂 https://t.co/vatooAGP43
— Josh Steele (@steelej27) June 24, 2021
Therefore, it would be very difficult to replace Davies, with only really Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, AZ Alkmaar’s Teun Koopmeiners and Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso likely to be affordable and good enough to take the Welshman’s role in the squad.
It is quite likely that he will fast become a key player in the squad unless something drastic changes in the managerial saga, or a drastic change to the transfer budget – like say if Harry Kane was sold for example.
Experiments can prove to be rewarding in football, but if Davies fails to live up to the challenge, Spurs could find themselves in a bit of trouble with their formation and the balance within it.