Why Tottenham should press ahead with their interest in Alex Sandro
According to a report from Tuttomercatoweb (h/t The Sun), Tottenham are interested in signing Juventus full-back Alex Sandro in the summer. The North London outfit are willing to offer cash plus Serge Aurier in exchange for the Brazilian.
A product of the Atletico Paranaense academy, he made 17 first-team appearances before joining Uruguayan club Maldonado in 2010. He soon joined Brazilian club Santos on loan and made a solid impression, prompting Portuguese outfit Porto to sign him in 2011.
Sandro left after four years at the club, accumulating 137 appearances, scoring three goals and assisting 14 more. The 29-year-old joined Juventus in 2015 and has grown into a top performer for the Serie A outfit. Till date, he has racked up 188 appearances for the Bianconeri, contributing 10 goals and 25 assists.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have endured a difficult campaign. The North Londoners failed to build on their Champions League final run last term. A poor start to the season saw Mauricio Pochettino get the sack in November. In came Jose Mourinho, who sparked a turnaround of results initially. But the team’s form once again deteriorated since the turn of the year.
As a result, Tottenham crashed out of all cup competitions and find themselves in 8th spot in the Premier League table. For Mourinho to turn things around next season, the club should make significant investments to reinforce the squad.
Do Tottenham need a new left-back?
A new backup striker and a centre-back should be on top of Mourinho’s shopping list. But the club should also look to recruit a new left-back in the summer transfer window.
As of now, Ben Davies is the only senior left-back at the manager’s disposal. Ryan Sessegnon was signed last summer, but the youngster has been used in a more attacking role by Mourinho.
Furthermore, Danny Rose was loaned out to Newcastle United in the January transfer window. And the club are willing to offload the England international on a permanent basis. Such a situation would leave them with just Davies as the out-and-out left-back in the squad.
In order to avoid such a situation, Spurs should look to strengthen their options in the department. In that regard, signing Sandro would be a smart move.
The 29-year-old is vastly experienced, with 383 career appearances so far, in which he has scored 14 goals and 43 assists. In his career till date, Sandro has been a part of six league title triumphs – four with Juventus and two with Porto. Having been a part of so much success, the Brazilian would bring a winning mentality to the Tottenham squad.
Most importantly, the Juventus star, who has assisted four goals in 31 matches this term, would be adding some much-needed quality and depth to a position that is in need of reinforcement.
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Verdict
With Danny Rose likely to leave permanently this summer, Tottenham will be left with just Ben Davies as the senior left-back in the squad. Hence, they must bring in Alex Sandro to add more quality and depth to the roster.
Furthermore, the 29-year-old would bring in his wealth of experience and winning mentality to the squad, which would help youngsters like Ryan Sessegnon improve.
