Tottenham Hotspur are in for a summer of change.
Not only is chairman Daniel Levy on the hunt for the 12th permanent manager of his reign but the playing squad is in drastic need of a shake-up, with several underperforming stars still turning up to Hotspur Way every day.
It’s thought that Julian Nagelsmann is among the leading candidates to take the helm – according to the Telegraph, the 35-year-old currently sits atop a shortlist but there are concerns over the financial implications due to his contract with Bayern Munich, who only sacked him last month.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has also provided some hope on the matter, claiming that talks between Spurs and the German are underway, as revealed to Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel this week.
Who could Tottenham sign under Julian Nagelsmann?
If appointed, it will be interesting to see what the young, innovative coach does with this weak squad, particularly in defence. During his time at RB Leipzig, the 35-year-old often deployed a back-three, with a lot of their attack coming from the wide areas through the use of wing-backs – sound familiar?
The only difference is, it’s a lot more exciting than what Antonio Conte offered during his tenure in north London.
However, the club will need better defenders to pull it off and reports last month linked the Lilywhites with a move for Crystal Palace sensation Marc Guehi, and he’d surely be a prime target to thrive under the stewardship of Nagelsmann.
Take Dayot Upamecano, for example.
No player has featured more for the former Hoffenheim boss than the French centre-back. Indeed, the 24-year-old racked up 151 appearances for Nagelsmann across both his spells at RB Leipzig and Bayern, proving to be a very trusted lieutenant in defence.
The Eagles have endured a rough season in the Premier League but Guehi has been one of the few shining lights, featuring for more minutes than any other player, via WhoScored. It’s thought that Spurs are leading the race to sign the 22-year-old, with Palace set to demand in the region of £60m.
Once lauded as an “absolute tank” by former England U21 teammate Josef Bursik, Guehi is also attracting interest from both Manchester clubs, which in itself should display the sort of quality on potential on offer.
Comfortable in and out of possession, having averaged a squad-leading passing accuracy of 85.4% as well as 1.3 interceptions per game, the England colossus is the ideal profile for what Nagelsmann would expect from his central defenders – big, powerful yet adept at building play out from the back.
Upamecano ranks third in the Bayern squad for passing success and fourth for interceptions per game, via WhoScored, and is a similar height to Guehi, both measuring around the 6 foot 1 mark.
Should the German walk through the door ahead of next season, then Levy ought to make it a priority to bring Guehi to north London, given the evidence above, it’s a partnership that could put the club back in the right direction.
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