Spurs: Beto could ease Harry Kane’s burden
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Udinese striker Beto this summer to ease starring talisman Harry Kane’s workload, according to recent reports.
What’s the latest on Beto to Tottenham?
That’s according to one Spanish outlet, who claim that Spurs – alongside Bayern Munich, Napoli and Real Madrid – could secure the services of the formidable forward.
Beto is valued at €30m (£26m) by his Serie A outfit – the fee a clause in his contract – and with I Bianconeri unwilling to conduct business for a lesser fee, the interested suitors are yet to commence negotiations.
With recent reports that Bayern are pushing for the transfer of Kane, reaching an agreement in principle despite facing an obstinate hurdle in Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, the requirement to sign a new first-rate forward is only magnified.
Should Tottenham sign Beto?
While the emphasis at Tottenham this summer will be on bolstering the backline and restoring balance to the squad through eradicating the seasonal issues of a leaky defence, targetting a centre-forward is certainly not a bad shout.
Manager Ange Postecoglou will have his work cut out in replenishing Spurs after an eighth-placed finish confirmed European football to be outside the side’s reach next year, and Beto would add a new dimension to the fold.
Standing at 6 foot 4, the £3k-per-week ace has maintained a steady rate of scoring in Italy, bagging ten times in Serie A last term before netting 11 strikes this time around.
The Brazilian menace would also add a new dimension to the fold, offering greater physicality than Kane and perhaps utilising his imposing stature to serve as a conduit, and a focal point from which the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski could wreak havoc with well-timed inversions.
This is evidenced through FBref, with the 25-year-old ranking among the top 18% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 11% for clearances, the top 26% for interceptions and the top 25% for aerials won per 90.
The consistency within the top quarter of positional peers across the aforementioned metrics illustrates an aptitude in physicality across the park.
And for all Kane’s excellence – having scored 30 goals from 38 league matches this year – he ranks below the bottom 50% mark for each defensive statistic FBref has to offer.
Reporter Sam Tighe even said: “The way Beto spooks defenders is amazing. Chuck a ball into the channel for him to chase and even if he doesn’t latch onto it, defenders panic under his pressure and end up making the craziest decisions or panicked clearances.”
With statistical likeness to Alexander Mitrovic and Ollie Watkins, with the Fulham striker hailed as a “monster” by Andy Naylor while Aston Villa’s goal-happy striker has been dubbed “lethal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, the Lilywhites would secure a gem with qualities fit for Premier League football.
He would bring a brutish presence and a new angle for the attack, Kane is one of Europe’s foremost forwards and deserves all the plaudits for his prolific brilliance and leadership skills, but perhaps what the club needs is a new striker to add something different when the situation demands it.
