Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho isn’t going to be short of options in the engine room next season, but there can be no harm in landing further additions, especially if they are shades of Spurs great Mousa Dembele…
What’s the word?
According to Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX, Sampdoria midfielder Ronaldo Vieira is becoming quite an attractive target for teams in the Premier League due to foreign player regulations.
The 22-year-old came through at Leeds United and has featured for the England U21 squad, so he would count as homegrown when the tighter restrictions come into place.
Everton, Leicester City and Southampton are all also keen with the Serie A outfit likely to accept a bid of around €10m (£9m) for his services.
Dembele-like enforcer
Whilst this move won’t send excitement to those in north London, it would still be a very smart decision to make as Mourinho only has one defensive-minded option in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Vieira has become a regular in the Serie A at such a young age and that sort of physically imposing league could prepare him well for life in the English top-flight.
This season, the 22-year-old made 29 appearances where he averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.8 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.
These numbers may not jump off the screen, but under someone like Mourinho, the former Leeds enforcer can become Spurs’ next Dembele as they appear to be in a very similar mould.
Which is backed up by Marcelo Bielsa, who once likened him to Kalvin Phillips – his specialist anchorman – whilst Ian Holloway labelled him “different class” after one defeat as QPR boss.
For just £9m, Mourinho would get valuable squad depth and a chance to develop an exciting young talent into what Spurs have been missing for the past year or so.
AND in other news, Spurs fans hail young sensation’s pre-season display against Ipswich…
The post Ronaldo Vieira could become Spurs’ next Mousa Dembele first appeared on FootballFanCast.com.
