Tottenham Hotspur prioritized bringing in a full back at the start of the summer window as the club were preparing to replace the then Genoa-bound Djed Spence and AC Milan-bound Emerson Royal.

Ange Postecoglou was keen on signing an understudy to Pedro Porro going into the new season, with the Spaniard proving to be an excellent option in the right-back position. 

The Lilywhites looked to sign Barcelona right-back Sergi Roberto earlier this summer. He is one of the most efficient players in the position, and Spurs wanted to explore this opportunity to land his signatures.

Sergi Roberto is ‘one of the best’ – Leo Messi

The 32-year-old has played on some of the most impressive sides in world football, as he has 373 caps for Barcelona, which is a testament to his quality.

During his peak days, Leo Messi raved about Roberto’s quality. The Argentine World Cup winner said, “You have become one of the best full-backs in the world.”

Spurs left in the cold as West Ham vie Barcelona star

The North Londoners could lose out on his services, with West Ham United interested in signing him this summer, per Mundo Deportivo. 

West Ham are assembling an incredible team at Olympic Stadium, and they have also recently acquired a marquee right back in Aaron Wan Bissaka.

It would be interesting to see if Roberto would prefer either West Ham or Tottenham, as the game time would come with reasonable competition at both destinations. And at his age, he would want to feature regularly before his age takes over.

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For Tottenham, Djed Spence has proven to be an admirable back-up for the North Londoners in the recently concluded pre-season and it would be ideal for Spurs to put trust in him going into the next season.