With Roberto De Zerbi at the wheel, Tottenham are already taking some steps in the right direction. The Italian is now looking to have some control over transfers as well.
Sport Witness have previously covered how De Zerbi would like Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli at Spurs.
The duo shared the dressing room during their time at Sassuolo and the midfielder grew as a player under De Zerbi. However, Locatelli has signed a new at Juve, making that one difficult.
Now, two new names have emerged and Spurs can take them away from AS Roma.
Roberto De Zerbi keen
Calciomercato IT report that the Tottenham manager is having internal discussions about summer targets.
He is particularly interested in Roma keeper Mile Svilar and midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini. The manager feels the two players could be successful for different reasons.
The Serbian’s exit would give Roma a major capital gain, as he arrived on a free transfer.
An offer of €50m will be difficult to reject, especially with Roma facing issues meeting financial regulations.
Pellegrini will be available on a free transfer in the summer. He is out of contract at the end of the campaign and Roma haven’t managed to tie him down.
This is largely because the Giallorossi want him to take a wage-cut, which the midfielder hasn’t opened up to yet.
This could prove appealing to Tottenham, who can also meet the Azzurri midfielder’s wage demands.
Our take: Svilar makes more sense
Pellegrini has had a decent season after there was a lot of speculation about him last summer. But at 29, he has faced multiple fitness worries in recent months and isn’t the same player that he was.
Svilar is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. He is brave while coming off his line and has also improved quite a bit on the ball. Personality-wise, the 26-year-old has become a leader.
There is every chance Tottenham lose Guglielmo Vicario in the summer. Svilar will prove to be an upgrade and Spurs can take advantage of Roma’s financial worries to execute a good deal.
Pellegrini offers technical ability in midfield but doesn’t offer guarantees around availability anymore.