He's like Stones: Spurs hold talks to sign "monster" Romero replacement
He's like Stones: Spurs hold talks to sign "monster" Romero replacement
Tottenham Hotspur endured a Premier League season full of ups and downs under the guidance of new boss Ange Postecoglou last season, but all things considered, qualifying for the Europa League has to be seen as a success.
That said, there's no rest for the wicked, as the club now have a few months to bring in some real quality to help the side make the jump up to the Champions League places, especially as vice-captain Cristian Romero has been linked to European giants Real Madrid in recent days.
Luckily, Daniel Levy and Co have been at work, as the latest player touted for a move to N17 may be the perfect replacement, and he's been compared to six-time Premier League winner John Stones.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham Hotspur are incredibly interested in Bologna's star defender, Riccardo Calafiori, and have already held initial talks over a potential transfer.
Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Juventus and Newcastle United are also interested in the 22-year-old and that the latter has also held initial talks over a potential move.
An offer of around €35m, about £30m, should secure the defender's signature. However, the player would reportedly prefer a move to the Old Lady if he were to leave this summer to join up with his former boss, Thiago Motta.
It might prove to be a complicated deal to get over the line, but with Romero potentially leaving the club this summer, this isn't a player that Spurs can afford to miss out on - the comparisons to Stones are just a nice bonus.
How Calafiori compares to Romero and Stones
Before looking at how the Italian stacks up against Romero, let's first take a look at the comparison to Stones, which has primarily stemmed from data analyst Ben Mattinson.
His main argument stems from the Italian's ability and willingness to step "into midfield to control games." This trait that Mattinson is talking about can be seen in his Serie A heatmap, which demonstrates that while he does most of his work where you would expect, he still takes a significant number of touches in the opposition's half.
Not only is this similar to the City ace's, but it would also serve him well if he joined Spurs, as Postecoglou has become famous for playing a particularly high defensive line, which should suit the "quality front-footed defender", as Mattinson dubbed him, down to the ground.
With that said, how does the Rome-born "monster", as dubbed by Mattinson, compare to the player he could be replacing at the heart of the North Londoners' defence? Well, the good news is that while he comes out second best in some areas, as you'd expect, he does emerge victorious in others, suggesting that he could well be an ideal replacement.
For example, while the Argentine produces a better non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, plays more progressive passes, has better-passing accuracy and makes more tackles, the Italian completes more progressive carries and successful take-ons, receives more progressive passes, produces more shot and goal-creating actions, blocks more passes and makes more interceptions, wins a higher percentage of aerial duels and recovers more balls, all per 90.
Ultimately, even if Spurs can keep hold of Romero this summer, bringing in a player of Calafiori's quality would be a fantastic move and one that may help the club push back up into the top four and beyond.
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