Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly keen on signing the Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarnyi before he completed a January move to Premier League side Bournemouth.
The 20-year-old center-back joined the Cherries on deadline day and a report from Football London claims that Tottenham really liked the 20-year-old defender.
Zabarnyi is highly rated around Europe and he has a big future ahead of him. The talented young center-back has the potential to develop into a quality Premier League defender and it remains to be seen whether Tottenham decide to make a move for him in the coming seasons.
For now, the move to Bournemouth makes sense for the talented youngster who needs to play regularly at this stage of his career.
It is highly unlikely that Antonio Conte could have given him first-team assurances at Tottenham right now and he might have struggled to hold down a starting berth at the London club.
Zabarnyi will get to continue his development with ample game time at Bournemouth and there will be plenty of opportunities for him to join a big club in the near future.
Meanwhile, Spurs will need to dip into the transfer market at the end of the season in order to bring in a quality center-back.
The likes of Clement Lenglet and Davinson Sanchez have been largely underwhelming and Conte needs to find a reliable defensive partner for Cristian Romero. It remains to be seen whether the London club can secure Champions League qualification. Otherwise, it could prove difficult to convince elite players to join the club in the summer.