In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano offered an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their pursuit of Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori. Romano said,
“At the moment in terms of names, I’m not aware of anything. Calafiori is a top target for Juventus, so I’m not sure it’s going to be easy for Tottenham.
“But they have good connections with Italian football, we know that. So let’s see about it – at the moment, it’s still not something concrete or advanced yet.”
Calafiori’s Impressive Form In Serie A This Season
Calafiori is enjoying a solid campaign at the Italian club as he has put in a series of solid performances for them on the defensive third of the pitch. The 21-year-old has featured in 34 matches for Bologna this season, picking up four assists for them across multiple competitions.
The Roma-born talent has been a rock at the back and deserves credit for averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per 90 minutes in Serie A football. He has also been tidy when distributing the ball from inside his half based on his pass completion rate of 89.6% in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).
What Should Tottenham Hotspur Boss Angelos Postecoglu Do With Regards To Calafiori?
Calafiori is a tough-tackling defender who can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t mind clearing his lines when needed and can play his way out from the back. The Italian talent is primarily a central defender but can also function as a left-back or as a left-sided wide player if asked to do so.
We can expect Calafiori to bring more bite and steel to Tottenham head coach Angelos Postecoglu’s defence. He has what it takes to compete for regular first-team football at the North London club next season.
At 21, Calafiori has got the potential to be a future star in European football. Thus, Spurs would be wise to engineer a move to bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the transfer window reopens later this year. With all things considered, Calafiori would be a worthy option for Tottenham to pursue in the long run if Postecoglu is willing to be patient with his development.
