Tottenham are struggling at 18th in the Premier League table.
Tottenham have been looking to bring Marco Palestra to Hotspur Way when the summer comes around. He has proven himself to be someone with high technical abilities who can play in that rightful right-back role.
Palestra initially started as a midfielder before moving into that RB position. And his abilities on the ball could be exactly what this Tottenham side needs under Roberto De Zerbi.
But as is so often the case at Hotspur Way when it comes to their dealing in the market, the problems have not been only about identifying the right player. But once identified, it has been about winning the race to his signatures. And right now, there emerges a detail that can quietly end up pushing a possible Palestra transfer away from N17.
Arsenal hold advantage in Marco Palestra signing
The versatile full-back has had a rapid rise this season as he went from being just a promising talent at Atalanta to being one of the standout players in Serie A with his performances (on loan) with Cagliari. And this has led to him attracting interest from around Europe, including from North London neighbours in Tottenham and Arsenal.
But the key piece is his agent, Alessandro Lucci. Lucci already has strong ties with Arsenal through Riccardo Calafiori. And those relationships matter more than ever in deals like this as the Gunners would try to pounce on that chain of contact to get their hands on Lucci. (h/t JuventusNews24)
For Tottenham, it doesn’t look like an all-out blow to the transfer, but this is more of an advantage that the Lilywhites do not have.
De Zerbi would love having Marco Palestra at N17
Thinking about this from a pure tactical perspective, this is exactly the kind of signing that Roberto De Zerbi would be pushing for behind the scenes. He is two-footed and capable on either flank. Given his development in the second phase, he is also quite comfortable when stepping into midfield zones, and he is aggressive in both phases of the game.
Palestra is not just a full-back who attacks like Porro, but he is more of a system player. He is someone who can adapt within structures and can give you multiple solutions.
But Tottenham have had a pattern of losing to Arsenal lately, and it looks like they would be using another advantage to beat the Lilywhites to another high-profile move, showing the massive gap between the knock-on doors from both sides.