Roberto De Zerbi has told Tottenham Hotspur to secure the services of an experienced midfielder whom he has worked with in the past.
While not all Tottenham fans are thrilled by De Zerbi’s appointment, the hope among the fan base would be that the Italian’s arrival could help galvanise a squad which looks completely devoid of confidence.
The newcomer has just seven games to avert relegation disaster, and the fact that De Zerbi has signed a five-year deal with no relegation break clause suggests that he is confident of keeping the club in the top-flight.
There is no doubt that the 46-year-old will want to put his own imprint on the squad in the summer to suit his style of play, and he has wasted no time in identifying a target.
Roberto De Zerbi has told Tottenham to sign Manuel Locatelli this summer
Calcio Mercato are now reporting that Manuel Locatelli’s name has been added to Tottenham’s summer wishlist at the request of the North London club’s new head coach.
The report reveals that during the initial discussions between Spurs and De Zerbi, there were also discussions on potential transfer targets.
While the focus at Tottenham is on staying in the Premier League, the club have already started preparing for a summer rebuild with the Italian at the helm.
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During those discussions, De Zerbi specifically named Locatelli, whom he had worked with at Sassuolo many years ago.
The report adds that Juventus consider cashing in on the Italian international this summer, as he has just two years left on his contract in Turin.
Spurs’ midfield needs a lot of work to fit De Zerbi’s approach
The area of the park that needs the most work this summer for Tottenham is arguably their midfield.
While the Lilywhites have some extremely talented young midfielders in their squad, Spurs’ senior midfielders have been criticised this season for their inability to progress the ball.
With De Zerbi’s system relying on the midfielders to receive the ball in tight spaces and play through the press, one should not be surprised if Tottenham make multiple additions to their central midfield ranks this summer.