Aside from the arrival of Emerson, Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici hasn’t got a lot wrong and he could well seal another fine signing indeed…
What’s the word?
Last month, journalist Rudy Galetti reported of Spurs’ interest in Juventus wing-back Juan Cuadrado, claiming that the Italian supremo would “be glad to welcome” him to north London.
The 33-year-old, who is out of contract at Juventus in the summer, has also been tipped as a potential target for the Lilywhites by reporter Pete O’Rourke.
He said to This Is Futbol:
“Maybe if they’re not able to land a Djed Spence or a [Tino] Livramento, Cuadrado could fit the bill.”
Now, it’s been suggested that the long-serving defender has “differences” over a new contract at the Serie A giants, according to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra.
“Despite having reached a verbal agreement last October, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (33) has not yet renewed with #Juventus due to recent differences.
“The ‘Bianconeri’ offer 2 years (option to 3) and salary reduction. The Colombian asks for the same payment and 2 seasons,” he tweeted.
Perfect fit
Although the 111-time Colombian international is the wrong side of 30, he could be quite an ideal fit under Antonio Conte at Hotspur Way.
Since leaving arch-rivals Chelsea for the Old Lady, Cuadrado has emerged as an impressive right wing-back option, playing 64.1% of his 262 appearances in the role, where he has also delivered 42 assists, via Transfermarkt.
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With Matt Doherty’s season over with a nasty injury, and subsequently his long-term future at the club in doubt, Spurs could well be in need of a new right wing-back heading into next season, even more so when you combine that with Emerson, who could be sold after a poor debut campaign.
A younger player may be what the fans want but it’s hard to ignore someone of Cuadrado’s experience, especially if the Lilywhites make the top four.
Evidently, the veteran is still a durable and reliable option, having played 30 of Juve’s 32 league games this season, where he ranks as Max Allegri’s second-best performer with an average WhoScored rating of 7.22 – only Paulo Dybala has managed higher.
He leads the squad for chances created (1.7 key passes per game) and has been solid defensively (1.4 tackles per game) too.
Paratici has a history of securing high-value freebies as during his time at the Allianz Stadium he secured the likes of Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo and Kingsley Coman without paying a single transfer fee, whilst his work at Spurs in signing the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur is also encouraging.
Cuadrado, who was once dubbed as a “different animal” by journalist Zach Lowry, would surely be another name to add to the tally, and the fact that he is unlikely to sign a new deal is certainly a huge boost for Spurs heading into the summer.
AND in other news, Shades of Kane: Conte can save Spurs millions with “flashy” 14 G/A gem who’s “flying”…