Tottenham Hotspur have got off to a slow start in the summer transfer window as they are yet to make a single addition to their first team this year. Mauricio Pochettino is happy with the options at his disposal but needs to improve on a couple of positions in the squad and the right-back position will be one of utmost importance to him this summer.
Having lost his first choice right-back in Kyle Walker to Manchester City in a £50m deal, Spurs were dealt a huge blow recently after their first choice right back for the next season, Kieran Trippier picked up an injury in a pre-season game against Juventus.
This will now tie Pochettino’s hand, who will have to find an established full-back who can walk into the starting XI next season and one such name they are now desperate for is Valencia ace Joao Cancelo.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, Pochettino has now placed Cancelo at the top of his wish list and is ready to do whatever it takes to bring him to London this summer. Also wanted by Italian giants Juventus, Cancelo could cost a smidgen over £25m which is just half of what Walker was sold for, so Spurs have a great chance of landing him, with the lure of first team football this season. But is he the right option for the side?
Born and brought up in Barreiro, Portugal, the 23-year old is a youth product of the academy at Benfica and made it into the junior side at the club in 2012. Just two years later, he was promoted to the first team in the Portuguese domestic league but was sent out on loan to Valencia, where he managed to earn a permanent move in 2015.
He established himself as the first choice ever since and has also made his international debut last year, making him an established star. Capable of playing as a full-back, a wing-back or also as a winger, Cancelo is a dynamic player who has great technique and possesses an intelligent understanding of the game.
Cancelo is a defensive minded full-back, who loves to sit back and soak up the pressure. He reads the game and waits for the right time to pounce on, making him a great threat during counters, and a perfect fit for the Spurs.
He can also cross and create chances in the final third and at just 23, is a player that fits the bill perfectly for Spurs. But is he the right man for them this summer?
