West Brom interest in Spurs defender could impact Berahino talks

Federico Fazio has only been at White Hart Lane for one season, and it looks like that may be all she wrote for the Argentinian defender, who finds himself behind first choice defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in selection early in the 2015-2016 campaign.

The Telegraph are reporting that West Bromwich Albion have made a £5m bid for the 28-year-old defender.According to the article, the bid has not only been made, but it's believed that the deal could be closed rather quickly:

Tony Pulis has made a £5 million bid for Tottenham Hotspur defender Federico Fazio in a move which raises further doubts over the future of Joleon Lescott.

Pulis is close to signing Fazio, the Argentina international, after agreeing a fee with Spurs as he steps up his hunt for new signings.

Fazio only joined Spurs from Sevilla last August in an £8 million deal and is understood to be considering the move to the Hawthorns, with personal terms not thought to be an issue.

Fazio is the quintessential Tony Pulis type of transfer player: A veteran who has already achieved his ceiling and can basically be a plug-and-play player into his defensive back four.

As the article states, Spurs paid £8m to Sevilla last season for Fazio's services, but only made 14 appearances under Mauricio Pochettino. While his pace was seen as a bit of a liability at times, Fazio's aerial abilities were supposed to more than make up for it, and at times, it did. However, with the signing of Alderweireld from Southampton and young Kevin Wimmer from 1. FC Koln, it would appear that Fazio's appearances would be limited to Europa and cup ties, barring injury.

The bid may seem a tad low, but we have to look at it from this standpoint: We are trying to pluck Saido Berahino from the Hawthorns at the same time as this deal. In order to possibly smooth things over with that potential transfer, this may be one of the few times Daniel Levy says that the bid is fine and allows it to go through. There's something to be said about a trade off, and if allowing Fazio to go to somewhere that he'll get ample playing time with little to no drama could help in greasing the wheels for Little Bear.

On the flip side of this, losing Fazio would leave Spurs a little thin on the back line, even with the signings. Eric Dier can still be included in the depth, but with two starts in the midfield, we can assume one of two things:

1. Spurs may still be shopping around. If it's for a DM, then that would mean Dier would move back to the back four in the depth chart.
2. Spurs are happy with Dier at DM (And, to be fair, he's been solid in the spot) and may find it easier to buy another center back instead of a DM.

Also, a curious thought on this is the future of Milos Veljkovic. The 19-year-old Serbian was reportedly going to head to Leeds on loan, but that deal feel through for one reason or another (according to one report, the loan was only for a month and that wouldn't help at all). Veljkovic has played some DM in his time and could be utility depth for the first team. It isn't probable, but just some food for thought.

So, in short, if Fazio wants to go to West Brom, it's doubtful that Spurs will stand in his way. The deal will probably go rather smooth and, hopefully, make things easier for a transfer that brings Berahino to White Hart Lane.