Gold says Tottenham believe Barcelona man Clement Lenglet could be ‘best option’ in central defence
There is a belief within Tottenham Hotspur that Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet could be the best option in the centre of the team’s defence.
According to Spurs expert and Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold:
“Some within the club believe that Lenglet has the ability to be the best option in the centre of the back three with his passing ability with his left foot. The Frenchman’s performance on Saturday did not particularly sell that idea.”
He went on to detail how Lenglet was partially at fault for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ goal in their 1-0 league win at the weekend, where he prematurely came out to try and steal the ball from Raul Jimenez.
The centre-back trio of Lenglet, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero was clearly an attempt by manager Antonio Conte (and perhaps assistant boss Cristian Stellini) to test out this backline before the AC Milan clash.
What to make of Gold’s comments?
Eric Dier is suspended and there is every chance this trio starts against I Rossoneri in our do-or-die UEFA Champions League tie in N17. We lost the first leg 1-0 in San Siro.
It’s all well and good that some within the club hold Lenglet in such good stead, but he has hardly put in performances that would back up such a claim. Either that, or he hasn’t been an extended run in the team to prove his worth to the fullest.
Lenglet has 14 starts for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, but he has clearly been our fourth or fifth-choice defender alongside Davinson Sanchez. If Spurs indeed held that belief, then they would have handed him opportunities even when Romero wasn’t injured earlier this campaign.
Nevertheless, it could all matter for very less as the season comes to a halt. There is no option to buy Lenglet permanently from Barcelona inserted into his loan contract.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Napoli eye Mahmoud Dahoud to replace Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele
- Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has already rejected Tottenham Hotspur transfer
- Tottenham Hotspur’s Ben Davies reveals dressing room reaction to Antonio Conte’s return after ‘strange’ absence
Spurs would be wise to get over the Lenglet experiment and treat this signing as what it was intended to be in the first place – a stop-gap signing until the summer. Before next season, a world-class defender to play week in and week out is what is desired by the fans.
