Tottenham Hotspur appear to be in the market for a new right-back this summer and the Times have revealed two names on Jose Mourinho’s shortlist.
One of which is out-of-contract Paris Saint-Germain man Thomas Meunier, but other reports have linked him with signing a four-year deal with Champions League-bound Borussia Dortmund.
The other is breakthrough Atalanta talent Timothy Castagne, who is entering the final year of his current deal in Italy.
Who should be Spurs' RB next season?
Serge Aurier
Thomas Meunier
Max Aarons
Timothy Castagne
Castagne aided the Serie A side’s emphatic 2018/19 campaign with five goals and four assists as they romped into shock UCL qualification and this season, they have progressed to the quarter-final stages after an 8-4 thrashing of Valencia.
The Belgian international has previously been linked with Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and is a fan of the top-flight – his father claimed his son had “always loved English football” in one interview amid the Eagles’ interest.
Other reports suggest that Atalanta could be willing to let him leave for just €15m (£13.5m) this summer should they not be able to tie him down to a long-term extension, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport print edition, via SempreInter.
It remains to be seen what sort of future Serge Aurier has in north London, but clearly these claims do him no favours whatsoever.
Castagne poses an interesting solution given his lack of game time this campaign.
In just 19 appearances, the 24-year-old has averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 shots per game, via WhoScored, which hints towards him being a marauding sort of wing-back that likes to get up and down the touchline.
This one would be an interesting one to develop, but what do you think, do Spurs need a new right-back?
I don’t think Aurier is as bad as people have been making him out to be (ok a slightly dodgy temperament, but even that has improved since Jose arrived). Whether it is Aurier, Meunier, Aarons or Castagne who ends up as first choice RB/wing back – or even a different player altogether – one thing is for certain, Tottenhams defence overall must vastly improve upon the last 18 months if we have any hope of regaining lost ground. Lets hope the restart see a re-energised and more ambitious Spurs once again and one that is ready to battle for top four places right till the end of the season.