Spurs can finally replace Mousa Dembele with Nicolo Zaniolo | OneFootball

There has been a major development in Tottenham’s pursuit of AS Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Antonio Conte’s side had made contact with Roma over his potential signing, and there has now been an update on their chase for the midfielder.

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A truly wasted talent...

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According to news from Spain, Spurs have been joined by both Juventus and Newcastle in the race to sign Zaniolo in this upcoming summer transfer window, and that Roma could be willing to listen to offers starting around £34m for him.

He’s shades of Mousa Dembele

Despite seeing him leave the club back in January 2019, Spurs still haven’t managed to adequately replacement Mousa Dembele in the middle of the park, with the Belgian’s supreme mix of technical ability and power something that is sorely missed.

But, in the 6 foot 3 Zaniolo, they could find their dream successor to the equally tall and languid Dembele.

Roma legend Francesco Totti waxed lyrical about his fellow Italian, saying: “He has explosive strength and technique, and everything it takes to become a truly great player.”

Zaniolo is at his best when in possession of the ball, proving to be a strong runner with it and also having that end product to deliver that killer pass or fire a shot off on goal – as per Whoscored, he averages an impressive two dribbles, one key pass and 2.5 shots per game in Serie A this season.

Quite intriguingly, former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is a big fan of the midfielder himself, having actually initially tried to sign him for the north Londoners back in 2020 – Italian publication Leggo claimed that the Lilywhites had been “pressing for months” to get a deal over the line.

And now, having finally got his wish of being able to manage the Italy international, it’s clear why he’s such a big fan of him.

He said: “Don’t forget, Nicolò is two years older than he was before the injuries, so that’s time taken also for a young man to think and mature. I would be a terrible coach if I had nothing to teach a 22-year-old. He seems super-professional and I had heard about him as quite an immature lad, but that’s not what I have found working with him.

“I don’t like comparing Zaniolo to players of the past, but I can say there are few out there with this amount of potential.”

The £80k-a-week star could be a superb signing for Spurs this summer.