Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko could accompany the Spain international to north London.
After a disappointing eighth-place finish last season and the failure to qualify for Europe, Tottenham Hotspur are now looking forward to a brighter future under new manager Ange Postecoglou. The 57-year-old arrives at N17 having just recently won the treble at Old Firm giants, Celtic. The Greek-Aussie has only just arrived in north London, but he already seems to have given his OK to the team’s transfer intentions, according to 90min, who also claim that the Lilywhites want to bring in a new center-back this summer.
Among those who are being considered to bolster the backline is Manchester City star, Aymeric Laporte, with the same publication reporting back in April that Spurs had been offered the chance to sign the 29-year-old, with Pep Guardiola ready to sell the Spain international.
That readiness to let go of the 20-cap “beast”—as writer Muhammad Butt praised him—came after the former Athletic Bilbao player fell further down the Etihad hierarchy and was only allowed to make 12 Premier League appearances this season.
Despite the £120,000-per-week player’s recent struggles in Manchester, it might be to Tottenham’s advantage if he were to go, since Postecoglou and company may be planning to follow the example of their rivals from north London, Arsenal, by reviving a City star.
Aymeric Laporte should Tottenham sign him.?
As far as Postecoglou is concerned, the signing of the five-time Premier League winner could potentially mirror the impact that both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have had at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta, with the former City duo having signed for the Gunners last summer for £32m and £45m, respectively.Like Laporte, the pair had been somewhat on the periphery under Guardiola with Jesus expected to play second fiddle amid the arrival of Erling Haaland, while Zinchenko had made just ten top-flight starts in his final season in Manchester.
Since moving to the capital, however, the duo have been instrumental figures for Arsenal, having been vital in helping to push the club into title contention in 2022/23, with Jesus bagging 11 goals and seven assists in the league, while Zinchenko was praised for his “mentality” by Arteta. Like Laporte, the pair had been somewhat on the periphery under Guardiola with Jesus expected to play second fiddle amid the arrival of Erling Haaland, while Zinchenko had made just ten top-flight starts in his final season in Manchester.
Since moving to the capital, however, the duo have been instrumental figures for Arsenal, having been vital in helping to push the club into title contention in 2022/23, with Jesus bagging 11 goals and seven assists in the league, while Zinchenko was praised for his “mentality” by Arteta. As the latter man also noted, both men were able to bring “something different” to the Gunners due to their previous experience of winning major honours at their previous employers, with the pair having been in “many title races and fought for the biggest trophies”, according to Bukayo Saka. Much like that “special” pairing – as hailed by Saka – Laporte also has experience competing at the highest level of the game, ensuring that he could potentially share that knowledge with a Spurs side that has now gone 15 years without winning a trophy.
The 6 foot 2 ace would also be a quality addition for Postecoglou having previously been hailed as the “best left central defender in the world” by Guardiola, with it undoubtedly rare for such talents to come available.
Having seen the impact that both Jesus and Zinchenko have had on their rivals, Spurs would be wise to seal a transfer masterclass of their own with the signing of the towering defender.
