Argentinian international defender close to Spurs

It looks like Tottenham Hotspur are finally close to locking up a signing in central defense. Sevilla central defender Federico Fazio appears to be close to joining the club after his manager, Unai Emery, spoke to the media about his likely departure on Friday.

From AS, here's what Emery had to say, in Spanish. The words below are my best effort at translating.

There's very little possibility, if any, that Fazio will play tomorrow against Valencia. It's a disappointment, because he's our captain and has acquired a high level [of skill]. There's players exiting Sevilla constantly under these extreme circumstances and we have to adapt.

When I arrived, Fazio was widely criticized and was about to leave. In a year and a half, he grew immensely and had his contract renewed with a high release clause, but over time it's gotten smaller.

Emery doesn't specifically mention that the Fazio deal is done or where he's headed, but he all but confirms that his captain will be leaving the club shortly, and will be kept out of action over the weekend because his transfer is imminent.

Fazio is a huge defender at 6'5" and as good in the air as you'd expect someone of that size to be, but he's also a tad bit slow, both in straight-line speed and on the turn. He had the best season of his career last year, and at a rumored €10m, he represents excellent value for money.

I'm not sure if Fazio is a game-changing signing, sure to solidify our defense, but he's good enough for Spurs and brings something different. I'm certainly not against the move.