Tottenham Hotspur are currently 8th in the Premier League on points (57) and 15th for goals conceded (62), so it’s easy to see what’s contributed to their failure this season.
Steve Kay of Football Transfers says Spurs are eyeing a move for Harry Maguire, who is destined to leave Manchester United after falling out of favour under Erik ten Hag. West Ham United are also showing an interest.
Tottenham aren’t short of defenders with Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Davinson Sánchez, Clément Lenglet and Japhet Tanganga on the books, but Romero is first in the squad for fouls (1.6 per game), Dier is only 12th for tackles (0.9 per game), Sanchez has barely played this season, and only two players have been dribbled past more than Tanganga (1 per game).
Lenglet isn’t expected to turn his loan move permanent at Tottenham this summer while Tanganga has found playing time hard to come by like Sanchez, so Spurs have three centre-backs who won’t be regulars next season. It’s little wonder they’re being linked with a replacement, but are they really after Maguire?
The 30-year-old joined United from Leicester City in 2019 and has gone on to make 174 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals with five assists. Maguire was a regular for the Red Devils until Ten Hag was appointed manager, spending most of this season on the bench, so an exit looks on the cards.
Tottenham have plenty of underperforming defenders though, so it remains to be seen why they’d want United’s outcast. The Red Devils paid £80m for Maguire and agreed a contract worth £190k-per-week, so he wouldn’t be cheap to sign. Kay says United would accept around £40m, but is the 30-year-old worth the money?
Tottenham are at risk of finishing outside of a Europa Conference League place, so they won’t have European football to boost next season. That will affect the calibre of players willing to make the switch, but they might not deem Maguire a good investment anyway.
