GOOD NEWS: Tottenham Hotspur ended a Great star contract, service not longer needed

GOOD NEWS: Tottenham Hotspur ended a Great star contract, service not longer needed

Harry Winks’ time at Tottenham is coming to an end, but the midfielder will have no shortage of suitors.

It is all systems go at Leeds United as they begin a new chapter under the full ownership of 49ers Enterprise, potentially meaning some exciting new players arriving this summer.

In the days before and since confirmation of that takeover was made public, United have been linked with an array of players – some more attainable than others.

With no sporting director nor manager currently in place, there is still a period of uncertainty ahead at Elland Road. However, if recent reports are anything to go by, plans are already firmly in place to bolster their squad ahead of their first Championship season since 2019-20.

According to a report by SampNews24, 5 foot 10 Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks is among those being targeted by Leeds in what would be an audacious move on the face of it.

Where would Harry Winks fit in at Leeds United?
Winks spent the past campaign on loan with Sampdoria, who have ironically just been purchased by Radrizzani, and made 20 Serie A appearances.

With Sampdoria dropping into the second tier after finishing with just 19 points from their 38 matches, they are not expected to take up the option to sign Winks permanently, meaning he could be up for grabs this summer.

Dropping into the Championship would be considered a fall from grace for a player who seemingly had the world at his feet not so long ago. Indeed, Spurs team-mate Danny Rose described Winks as a “little Iniesta” in 2018 and backed him to become a key midfielder for England.

That has not quite been the case, with the most recent of his caps coming in 2020, but Winks will be eager to get his career back on track – even if that means taking a cut on the reported £20,000 a week he was earning last season.

Even accounting for his time with a struggling Samp side, Winks still ranks highly for interceptions (1.26 per 90), clearances (1.26) and progressive passes (6.14) over the past year, as per FBref, with that a better record than that of Marc Roca, for instance, who averaged just 0.89, 0.93 and 6.69 for the same two metrics, respectively.

It is fair to say a move to an elite club is unlikely for Winks this summer, assuming new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou does not attempt to retain the midfielder, but their loss could be another team’s gain – especially in the case of a Leeds side with ambitions of earning an immediate promotion.

United could do with a ball-playing midfielder, which is an area Winks thrives. The Spurs academy product averaged 45.7 passes per league game last season, as per WhoScored – only Tyler Adams (55.3) and Diego Llorente, who both look set to leave Elland Road, ranked higher among Leeds players.

Roca, the man Winks would likely replace, averaged just 37.8 passes, with the struggling Spaniard – who has been linked with a surprise move to Barcelona of late – having been described as “embarrassing” by content creator Conor McGilligan due to his dismal form.

Winks’ ability to keep play ticking over earned him the nickname of “the washing machine” by Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, and it is that calmness on the ball – plus the motivation to prove a point – that could seriously bolster Leeds’ promotion hopes if they pull off the coup.

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Tottenham are leading the race to sign AS Roma defender Roger Ibanez according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report claims that AS Roma will have to sell several players in order to balance their books and raise funds for the transfers in accordance to the Financial Fair Play rules.

They were previously hoping to cash in on one of their star strikers Tammy Abraham but that may no longer be possible due to the injury he suffered.

The club now sees their impressive Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez as a player they will need to sacrifice in the summer.

Several clubs are interested in signing him with Tottenham at the forefront of it according to the report.

The report states that the club values him around €35m and €40m.

Spurs will be facing competition for his services as per Giallorossi.net
which previously reported that Newcastle are also interested in signing the highly rated Roma defender.

The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the key players for Jose Mourinho and has all the attributes to be successful in the Premier League.

Spurs are expected to have a squad shake up this summer with several players expected to leave as Ange Postecoglou hopes to build the team according to his style of play.

Reports have suggested that the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier and Ben Davies are all set to be let go.

It has also been suggested thst signing a centre-back is on top of Tottenham’s priorities.

They have also been linked with Manchester United defender Harry Maguire but latest report claims he is not keen on leaving the club.

Nicolo Zaniolo has been linked with a move away from Galatasaray at the end of the season.

According to a report from Tutto Juve, he could be on the move this summer with a number of clubs interested in securing his services.

Although he joined the Turkish club at the start of the year, he has a release clause in his contract and Galatasaray will be powerless to stop him from leaving if the exit clause is triggered.

The midfielder can be signed for a fee of €35 million and clubs like Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are ‘dreaming of signing’ him.

It is no secret that Tottenham need to sign a creative midfielder and Zaniolo is versatile enough to operate as a winger as well. The former Roma midfielder has been linked with Tottenham in the past and it remains to be seen whether Spurs can get the deal across the line.

Tottenham will have to strengthen their squad sufficiently in order to get back into the top four and challenge for trophies next season.

Zaniolo has the potential to develop into a quality player for them. The Italian attacker is certainly good enough to play in the Premier League and working under a manager like Ange Postecoglou could help him realise his potential. The Australian manager has done well to maximise the talents of his players throughout his managerial career and he could get the best out of the 23-year-old as well.

The reported asking price seems quite reasonable for a player of his potential and he could justify the outlay in the coming seasons.