Tottenham snubbed as Arsenal ‘shake hands’ over deal for top Postecoglou target

Arsenal are set to beat Tottenham to Ferdi Kadioglu

Fenerbahce defender Ferdi Kadioglu is set to snub Tottenham in favour of a move to North London rivals Arsenal, according to reports coming out of Turkey.

Ange Postecoglou is on the hunt for a fullback who can play on the left and the right and Kadioglu fits that bill.

Kadioglu‘s £26 million valuation also something that would suit Tottenham’s pocket.

Tottenham’s hunt for wingers has dominated the bulk of Spurs’ transfer talk lately but Postecoglou’s squad is thin on cover in the fullback area as well.

That lack of depth has been exposed as Spurs have been hit by a double injury blow on the left side of their defence with both veteran Ben Davies and young star Destiny Udogie sidelined.

Kadioglu has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs with Spurs linked to the Turkish defender in March.

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Spurs lose out to Arsenal

Turkish journalist Devrim Zengi told outlet Karar, that Kadioglu and his father, who serves as his agent had met with representatives of Arsenal and agreed to a deal in principle.

He stopped short of confirming the business as a done deal but believes the fullback is heading to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

“Ferdi Kadioglu is meeting with Arsenal, Ferdi shook hands. His father, Feyzullah Kadioglu, did not say ‘yes, he is going to Arsenal, we made an agreement with Arsenal’,” Zengi claim in an interview with Karar.

“But from the questions I asked and the answers I received, I understood that Ferdi Kadioglu agreed with the Premier League giant Arsenal.”

Arsenal will still need to agree terms with Fenerbahce over the transfer but they should be happy enough to pay the £26 million fee that has been touted.

Tottenham suffer in fullback crisis

Spurs will need to invest in additional cover for their fullbacks after seeing Liverpool use the wide channels to create their four goals in the 4-2 defeat at Anfield this weekend.

Postecoglou could just as easily lose his first choice right backs which has motivated the search for a player who can double up as cover for both flanks.

The Australian inherited a squad with a dearth of fullbacks as a legacy of the system deployed by Antonio Conte.

Postecoglou signed Pedro Porro from Sporting CP in his first transfer window at the helm for Spurs but has suffered horrid luck when it comes to injuries this season.

A promising start to the campaign also fizzled away for Spurs, whose hopes of a Champions League return were all but snuffed out with their latest defeat.