Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Lautaro Rivero of late. And given how the North Londoners have prioritised bringing in highly regarded young players and developing them through the corridors at Hotspur Way, he does look like a proper Lilywhites buy (for the last couple of years or so).
When we start looking at central defenders from Argentina, you don’t end up far off Hotspur Way, with skipper Cristian Romero possibly being one of the best in the world. But the teams that dominated the conversations are already playing in Europe and grinding through the leagues on the continent. Yet when you start looking beyond, you end up in Buenos Aires, where Lautaro Rivero is quietly emerging at River Plate.
He is a 21‑year‑old left‑footed centre‑back who has that blend of size and fluidity. He is someone who shows athletic ability but with technical comfort. These qualities are much of a qualification apart from the young central defensive profiles that Tottenham have signed off late (Luka Vuskovic, Takai). And it looks like he could be next through the doors at N17.
Now he has not had a lot of minutes at River Plate yet. Lautaro Rivero was on a loan spell at Central Cordoba before he returned to River Plate in May 2025. But was almost immediately trusted with first‑team minutes. And he has done well and beyond.
Strengths
The 2003-born Argentine international has that agility and top speed, much like a modern centre‑back. And then he has that acceleration which helps him get into positions fast (he uses his strides to cover ground quickly).
When we are speaking about him facing 1v1 situations against strikers with a low centre of gravity, he does hold his ground well. Lautaro Rivero has that balance of making contact and maintaining pressure to force the opponent into a decision.
Then he has that ability to change directions swiftly. So if you put him in high-transition games or games where teams want to use a high tempo to get an upper hand (your Newcastles), he can come in crucial.
Speaking more in a technical sense. He is composed when it comes to his abilities with the ball. He is comfortable stepping into the middle of the park and carrying the ball with his feet. Another thing about him is that Rivero is comfortable in picking out long vertical passes and through‑balls to strikers behind the defence.
Where does Frank (and the staff at N17) need to improve him?
Rivero is not the most aerial defender you have seen (not even at the level of Kota Takai and Vasukovic). His aerial abilities are a bit inconsistent. There is a lot of mistiming with his jumps and heading placements.
And then sometimes he is quite slow to react to transductions. Given the pace of the English top tier, it is quite easy for teams to take advantage of this.
Then there is this thing where he tends to over‑rely on his left foot. You’d see sequences where he uses his left even with balls on his right foot.
How does Lautaro Rivero fit in at Tottenham under Frank?
In his current role, Rivero is widely used as a left‑footed centre‑back. There are times when he slots into a left centre role in a back three.
The North Londoners have centre backs playing a more mobile role at Hotspur Way since Thomas Frank took charge of the proceedings at N17. He likes players who can do a bit of both. Be it the CBs stepping into midfield or them contributing to build‑up play. But then he uses his structure to also have them backing up the presses.
And Rivero checks most of those boxes. As we saw above, he is quite apt when carrying the ball but also has that speed to progress out of the backline, which gives the Lilywhites that versatility irrespective of if he is playing in a back‑three or a fluid back‑four.
But that being said, if he is coming in at N17, the North Londoners would expect him to have better efficiency of defensive decision‑making and aerial supremacy than what is expected out of him in South American football at the moment. And these would require Thomas Frank’s side to work upon it.
If Tottenham do sign Rivero, at the moment he would be a rotation player (if they don’t send him out on loan almost immediately). But eventually, he does have that potential to push into a starting left‑centre‑back (perhaps pairing him with someone who is more aerial). But his ceiling is surely to be a long‑term starter for a top‑six club, and if he does continue his development like he has done over the past six months or so, then he would not be far from being a first‑choice defender at Tottenham.
TTLB Opinion
Lautaro Rivero is already showing that he has elite abilities in South America. He has that technical ease of mind in a way which is not common for someone so young (and not as experienced at the elite level).
If he stays on at River Plate a bit longer to develop and get some rhythm and sharpness in his game, then he can end up coming to Europe and can end up perfectly suiting the Lilywhites’ plans for the longer term.
