Both Nuno and Paratici are advocates of a 3 centre-back system, and the middleman of those 3 CBs is arguably key to Nuno’s philosophy, taking on a quarterback role. At Wolves, Nuno installed Conner Coady as his captain, building a lot of the forward play around Coady’s ability to ping long and accurate passes to the speedy wing-backs and start devastating counter-attacks.
Centre-back has been Tottenham’s persistent problem position of late and last season they were struggling to find 2 capable CBs to build a foundation around. Nuno’s admiration for ball-playing central defenders could give Eric Dier a chance to recover his Spurs career, but to build a backline around him would be an unpopular gamble. Joe Roden has been impressive in the EURO’s, and Ben Davies could well be moulded into a left-sided centre-half, but the squad is still in desperate need of two top-quality centre-backs.
Joachim Andersen fits the mould of the quarterback defender, with an impressive passing range, natural leadership skills, and the ability to cover the left and right-hand side of the defence. Having spent the last year on loan with Fulham, gaining valuable premier league experience, and at an age (25), and valuation (est. £25m) which would fit Daniel Levy’s recruitment policy, a lot of effort will be made to get this singing done in the early part of pre-season.
Jules Koundé was a surprise name to be sounded as a serious Tottenham target. Despite being only 22, Koundé is already very composed and tactically astute, in the mould of a young Van Dijk. While Sevilla starts with a back 4, DM Fernando will regularly drop to create a centre-back trio, with Koundé commanding on the right of the three. Despite a price tag of £60 million, this could be the superstar signing Levy permits in order to buy some favour with an increasingly restless Spurs fanbase.
At 28 years of age and with 4 years left on his Wolves contract, Conner Coady is unlikely to be the first name on Tottenham’s wishlist. But if top targets prove hard to secure, and/or Spurs receive a tempting offer for out-of-favour Eric Dier, Coady could be the ideal alternative. He would instantly slot into Nuno’s system and help ease Spurs’ homegrown player shortage.
