Tottenham: Clement Lenglet move being advanced
The Frenchman could soon be on his way back to north London.
Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet is reportedly being ‘advanced a lot’, with a €5m deal potentially being enough to secure a transfer instead of €12m.
Are Spurs signing Clement Lenglet?
Spurs and Ange Postecoglou are busy in the transfer market making preparations ahead of the new season, with a number of new faces already through the door.
Attacking midfielder James Maddison has signed from Leicester City, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has arrived from Empoli and left-winger Manor Solomon has put pen to paper on a Spurs deal on a free transfer. Meanwhile, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski have made their loan moves permanent in deals worth €40m and €30m, taking the club’s total current summer spend to €136m.
Another player who was on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season was Lenglet, but the club previously decided against making a move permanent.
However, a full-time transfer to north London appears to be back on the cards for the player who was hailed as “outstanding” by members of the media during the early stages of the previous campaign.
Sport Witness have shared a number of updates regarding Spurs and Lenglet, two of which have come in the last 48 hours from Spanish outlet Sport.
The first claimed that the La Liga champions are working hard when it comes to player sales, and a transfer to Tottenham for Lenglet is now being ‘advanced a lot’, with some optimism that the move will happen.
The second suggested that a fee of €5m (£4.3m) from Spurs could be enough for Barcelona to accept, despite the fact they had originally wanted more than €12m. Those at the Nou Camp are looking to get the player’s £204,000-per-week salary off the books, with the report stating €5m could be a bargain for the north London side.
How good is Clement Lenglet?
Lenglet made 35 appearances in all competitions for Spurs last season, 26 of which came in the Premier League. He came in for praise from John Wenham during the campaign, with the pundit calling him reliable.
“I just wanted to give (Lenglet) credit because I think his performance went a little bit under the radar. I have
been impressed with him so far
“The fact he has instantly come in for Ben Davies and we don’t look any weaker, that is a huge credit to him really.
“He’s a new signing to the Premier League, I know he has a lot of experience from Barcelona and with France but he already seems very reliable, like we could drop him in for any fixture.”
The 28-year-old ranked highly for Spurs when it came to clearances, average passes and pass completion per 90, as per WhoScored. However, the Frenchman was the club’s 14th-best performer when it came to match rating.
As per FBRef, Lenglet has actually been compared to centre-backs Edmond Tapsoba, Micky van de Ven and Piero Hincapie, three players who have also been linked with a move to Spurs. Over the past 12 months, Lenglet ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs for pass completion, top 4% for through balls and top 4% for tackles in the final third, showing how he could be a shrewd addition for the right price.
Postecoglou may feel he can get the best out of Lenglet following his first year in England, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep a close eye on over the coming weeks.
