Tottenham Hotspur signed French international defender Clement Lenglet on a loan deal from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
The 27-year-old has done reasonably well at his new club so far and he will be hoping to cement his place as a regular starter alongside Cristian Romero at the heart of Antonio Conte’s defence this season.
However, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold from Football London claims that the Barcelona defender was not the first choice target for the Londoners and they were keen on signing Josko Gvardiol and Alessandro Bastoni instead.
Gold said: “Spurs definitely wanted Gvardiol or Bastoni last summer but they were both big money signings and unavailable for varying reasons and that’s why they went for the experienced Lenglet and this loan. It essentially either fixes the problem for a season with competition for Davies and they try again for Bastoni next summer, or Lenglet makes the role his own.”
That said, both players were expensive targets and they were unavailable this summer because of a number of reasons. As a result of that, Tottenham had to settle for their third-choice defensive target, Lenglet.
It will be interesting to see if Tottenham decide to renew their interest in the likes of Bastoni and Gvardiol in the coming windows.
There is no doubt that both defenders are exceptional talents with a big future in the game. Furthermore, Antonio Conte has seen Bastoni up close during his time at Inter Milan and he will know all about the Italian defender’s qualities.
As for Lenglet, he will be hoping to impress thoroughly during his loan spell and perhaps earn a permanent move to the London club at the end of the season.