Tottenham look to Serie A for possible Alderweireld replacement

Tottenham Hotspur seem to have resigned themselves to the belief that Toby Alderweireld will not be with the club come summer. With the Belgian International’s year extension comes that pesky £25m release clause, and it’s inevitable that someone willing to pay his wage demands will come calling for his services. This leaves Spurs in a bit of a predicament in their defense. Jan Vertonghen has been extended, but he’s 31 years old and there’s no telling how much he has left in the tank. Davinson Sanchez looks to be a keeper and has plenty ahead of him. After that you have Juan Foyth, who has showed promise, but still needs some seasoning. It’s a crap shoot after that. Eric Dier and Ben Davies have both deputized at center back in the past, but one would think the club wants a replacement that makes sense.

The Independent agree with that thought, and apparently Spurs have a target in mind in the form of Sampdoria defender Joachim Andersen.

Tottenham Hotspur view Sampdoria’s Joachim Andersen as the likeliest replacement for Toby Alderweireld, should the Belgian leave in the summer. he club have extended Alderweireld’s contract by a year, but the terms of the deal mean a clause can be actioned so that he can go for £25m this summer with Tottenham unable to do anything about it. That has naturally led the club to make alternative plans – particularly with Paris Saint-Germain interested in Alderweireld – and Andersen is seen as the top possible replacement. The 22-year-old Danish international has progressed hugely at Sampdoria over the last year, and clubs like Manchester United have similarly be looking at the youngster. Andersen would likely cost around £35m.

Joachim Andersen has been spotted by several clubs over the season. He’s 22 years old, has good size at 6’2” (188cm), and continues to progress upwards for the Italian outfit. Manchester United and Inter Milan have also shown an interest in the Danish International. It’s also been suggested that bringing in Andersen could convince Christian Eriksen to stay if he has another countryman there, but I’d take that with a truckload of salt. Eriksen’s plans are his and his alone and Spurs seem to be doing all they can to keep him.

As for Andersen, he seems to tick all the boxes. Even at £35m, he’d be slightly cheaper than Davinson Sanchez was when Spurs purchased him from Ajax and getting the money from a potential Alderweireld transfer would certainly help fund it. If he is the real deal, this is a move that needs to be made in the summer. The Independent aren’t a bad source, either. Miguel Delaney has proven he at least has some decent sources in European football so this doesn’t seem like delusional bat country sourcing.

We’ll keep our eyes on this one as the club will definitely need a center back or two depending on how the summer goes.