Tottenham Hotspur Facing Stiff Competition For This Serie A Defender: Is He Worth The Fight? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Tuttosport mentioned that Tottenham Hotspur are facing stiff competition for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori. It is believed that Spurs would have to rival Napoli, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Juventus in the race to land the Italian centre-half this summer.

Calafiori is enjoying a decent campaign at Bologna after putting in a series of impressive displays at the heart of their backline. The Italian defensive ace has made 36 appearances for the Italian outfit this season, picking up five assists in all competitions.

The 21-year-old has been a rock at the back and deserves a ton of credit for averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 2.6 clearances per game in Serie A football. He has also been accurate when distributing the ball from inside his half after making 89.5% of his attempted passes in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).

Calafiori is under contract at the Italian club until the summer of 2027. Therefore, Spurs would have to launch a big offer if they are serious about recruiting him in the upcoming transfer window.

FERRARA, ITALY – MARCH 26: Riccardo Calafiori of Italy U21 during the UEFA Under21 EURO Qualifier match between Italy U21 and Turkey U21 at Stadio Paolo Mazza on March 26, 2024 in Ferrara, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur Are Facing Stiff Competition For Calafiori: Is He Worth The Fight?

Calafiori is a tough-tackling defender who can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and is a tidy passer of the ball as well.

Standing at 1.88m, the Italian youngster can be a dominant presence in the air as well. We can expect him to bring more bite and steel to Tottenham boss Angelos Postecoglu’s defensive department. He might even help Spurs compete across all fronts in the future.

At 21, Calafiori has the potential to be a world-class player in his position someday. Therefore, he would be well worth the fight, so the North London giants should focus on getting a deal done for the Italian prospect when the transfer window reopens later this summer.

However, there are some concerns over whether Calafiori can make a smooth transition to life in Premier League football. Still, the pros outweigh the cons of recruiting someone of his potential, so Postecoglu would be wise to snap him up soon.