Tottenham Hotspur central defender Micky van de Ven had a weekend to forget as he went viral for slipping for both of Newcastle's opening two goals on Saturday. The Netherlands international found himself slumped on the deck as Alexander Isak and then Anthony Gordon put the Magpies 2-0 up in quick succession in the Premier League at St. James' Park.
It has been a terrific campaign for the former Wolfsburg star, who has won 61% of his duels and completed 95% of his attempted passes in the division, since his summer move to Spurs, and he will be hoping to move swiftly on from his slip-ups against Newcastle.
At the moment, Ange Postecoglou does not have a natural left-footed centre-back available to rotate van de Ven with, as versatile left-back Ben Davies is his only other option in that position, and that could now be rectified in the summer.
Tottenham's interest in left-footed Serie A monster
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, via Sport Witness, Tottenham are one of the clubs lining up a deal to sign Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The report claims that the Premier League side are set to provide 'rich competition' for the talented central defender's signature in the upcoming summer transfer window.
A left-footed centre-back, Calafiori has emerged as a transfer target for both Spurs and Italian giants Juventus, who are both seemingly in the market to bolster their respective defensive options.
The outlet adds that the interest from Tottenham has left the Old Lady panicking, due to the finances the English team can put on the table in comparison to Juventus.
It was reported in March that Bologna could demand a fee of €25m (£21m) for their star performer at the back. However, it remains to be seen whether or not that price tag will change by the time the summer transfer window opens for business.
Riccardo Calafiori's impressive season in Bologna
The 21-year-old defender has been a regular fixture at the heart of the Bologna defence, with 26 outings this season, and has showcased his qualities in and out of possession. As you can see in the table below, Calafiori is a ball-playing centre-back who wants to progress his team up the pitch to build attacks out from the back.
Shot-creating actions (1.74)
Top 3%
Progressive passes (3.79)
Top 38%
Progressive carries (1.07)
Top 15%
Successful take-ons (0.45)
Top 12%
Pass accuracy (89.4%)
Top 20%
Along with his impressive play in possession, the £21m-rated Spurs transfer target has also been a dominant defender with a duel success rate of 62% in the Serie A across 26 appearances this season. Analyst Ben Mattinson once described the 6 foot 2 colossus as an "aerial monster" and claimed that he "dominates" opposition strikers in the air when the ball is played high.
This is backed up by his fantastic aerial duel success rate of 74%, which is higher than van de Ven's 52% and Cristian Romero's 68% in the Premier League this term.
Levy could now land "all-action" rising star in £30m summer deal for Spurs
The Lilywhites target has seen his value drop ahead of the summer transfer window.
ByDan EmeryApr 15, 2024
Tottenham's interest in his services has already left Juventus panicking and it is now down to Daniel Levy to get a deal over the line for the impressive performer this summer to bolster Postecoglou's options on the left side of his defence.