Tottenham have missed out on the signing of a centre-back who could’ve made an instant impact in north London, with two separate sources confirming a rival’s superior offer has been accepted.
TEAMtalk revealed on December 31 that Tottenham intended to make signings in four areas this month – goalkeeper, centre-back winger and striker.
The first on that list was quickly ticked off, with Antonin Kinsky arriving from Slavia Prague for £12.5m. Progress on the other three fronts has been harder to come by.
It did look like Tottenham could be nearing a breakthrough with regards to the centre-back chase in recent days.
Reporter Ben Jacobs confirmed Tottenham’s interest in Milan Skriniar of PSG last weekend. The 29-year-old is available for transfer this month and Spurs were understood to be considering a loan bid for the Serie A and Ligue 1 winner.
But according to fresh updates from Fabrizio Romano and Turkish journalist, Yagız Sabuncuoglu, Tottenham and two other clubs have been pipped to a deal by former boss Jose Mourinho and his Fenerbahce side.
Romano confirmed Spurs and fellow interested sides Napoli and Galatasaray were only willing to proceed with a loan move.
That left the door open for Fenerbahce given PSG’s preference was a permanent sale. The Turkish giant have capitalised on the opening, striking an agreement to sign Skriniar outright.
Sabuncuoglu broke the news, reporting on X: “Fenerbahce has reached an agreement with Milan Skriniar! The player will be in Istanbul today at 15.30 for a medical check-up!”
Romano subsequently added: “Fenerbahce agree deal in principle to sign Milan Skriniar and winning the race over more than 3 clubs!
“Verbal agreement to sign the player on permanent deal, not loan as offered by other clubs. Skriniar, expected to be in Istanbul today as Sabuncuoglu reports.”
Rubber-stamping Fenerbahce’s coup, Sabuncuoglu posted a picture of an airborne Skriniar on his way to Istanbul while holding a Fenerbahce shirt.
Milan Skriniar miss a blessing in disguise?
There are no doubts around Skriniar’s defensive ability. He was among the best Serie A had to offer during his time with Inter and remains a high quality option despite not featuring all that regularly at PSG.
However, for all the qualities Skriniar possesses, pace and mobility cannot realistically be described as being amongst them.
Skriniar thrived in a back three at Inter, whereas Postecoglou features just two centre-backs at Spurs. What’s more, the Tottenham manager’s familiar high line could present a problem for Skriniar.
Pace is among the most important traits a centre-back must boast to make Spurs’ high line work. A sluggish centre-half who is reluctant to push up and subsequently struggles to chase down an attacker when the ball is played over the top poses an obvious problem.
And as reported, Spurs were only willing to stretch to a loan and not a permanent deal.
If Skriniar joined outright and quickly proved unsuited to Postecoglou’s tactics, Spurs would be stuck with a highly-paid dud who turns 30 next month.
Who will Tottenham turn to next?
While Skriniar is now out of reach for Tottenham, they have also been linked with the following centre-backs this month – some being more ambitious targets than others…
-Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea)
-Omar Alderete (Getafe)
-Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach)
-Illya Zabarnyi (Bournemouth)
-Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
-Thomas Kristensen (Udinese)