Ornstein: Spurs in pole position for Japanese international Tomiyasu

Tottenham Hotspur have their manager, which means the club is long overdue in getting their transfer business rolling.

David Ornstein of The Athletic is reporting that Spurs are in the lead to acquire the services of Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu. The central defender/fullback is being courted by a few clubs but it seems Spurs is where he wants to go.

If Ornstein is correct, it seems the two sides aren’t that far apart on fee with just a couple million euros and the add-ons being worked out. Atalanta want to sign the 22-year-old and keep him in Serie A, but Tomiyasu has his eyes locked onto England as the next stop in his career. Ornstein says Manchester United are sniffing around, but it seems that he’s not high on their priority list.

This is where Fabio Paratici has to earn his keep. His knowledge of Serie A should get things over the line, so long as Daniel Levy doesn’t get involved to try and cut every last penny he can. Serge Aurier is almost certainly headed back to France and the club is expected to sign a couple of new center backs. Tomiyasu has played primarily as a center back, having made 96 appearances overall there, while also lining up 42 times as a right fullback. It’s probably a safe assumption he’s being brought in as a center back with his size at 6’2”, but having a utility guy is not a bad thing.

We have no idea what new managed Nuno Espirito Santos’ vision is for this squad just yet, but with him now in charge, the rumors that come in should gives us an idea. There’s also that whole Harry Kane saga that is sure to fire up as the Euros wind down, but we’ll cross that road when we get to it. For now, it seems Spurs are diving head first into the transfer market, and it’s about time they did.