According to a recent report by Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur have lined up a replacement for Toby Alderweireld if he ends up parting ways with the club next summer. The same report has revealed that Spurs have identified Sampdoria’s Joachim Andersen as an ideal candidate to replace Alderweireld, who has a clause in his contract that could see him leave the club for as little as £25m in the summer.
In a recent interview with Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet (translated by Football.London), Andersen addressed his future and said, “I really just concentrate on being here, and then we have to see what happens this summer,”
“It is important that a club has the right plan with me. I need a view of playing time. I also don’t mind being a season more in Sampdoria.
“It’s hard to say [which is my favourite league]. England, Spain or Italy. But it comes mostly to the club, which must have a good plan for me, and it must make sense in the long term.
“I have to take the right steps at the right times. So I don’t really care if it’s Tottenham, Inter or Atlético Madrid.”
His recent words would encourage all of his potential suitors into making an offer in the summer so Spurs would do well to secure his services with so much competition in the market. Mauricio Pochettino is looking to build for the future, and in Andersen, he would be getting a player with massive potential who could line up in the centre-back position at the North London club for years to come.
The Danish starlet is quite versatile as he primarily plays as a centre-half but can also operate as a makeshift defensive midfielder. He is aerially dominant and is also a very capable defender inside his own box. Moreover, the 22-year-old can keep a cool head under pressure and is also very reliable at the back. However, the Serie A talent lacks the speed and the ball-playing ability to feature for a club like Tottenham regularly.
Pochettino’s style of play at Spurs is mainly based on players playing out from the defence. Hence, Andersen might not be an ideal fit for Tottenham’s brand of football at the moment. Having said that, he is a player with incredible potential who could be nurtured into a world-class prospect under a great man-manager like Pochettino.
The North London outfit should undoubtedly consider making a move for him next summer but only if he is available for the right price. Otherwise, they are better of splashing the cash on a proven centre-back who would add quality to their squad right now and not in a few years’ time.
