Tottenham Hotspur might rue the choice to not signal Roger Ibanez throughout the summer time switch window as he has loved a shocking begin to the 2022/23 marketing campaign.
The north London outfit had been linked with a transfer for the AS Roma star again in June, with Italian outlet Calciomercato claiming that supervisor Antonio Conte was eager on the 23-year-old and that he would price round €30m (£26m).
Premier League rivals Newcastle United, backed by rich Saudi traders, had been additionally mooted with curiosity within the Brazilian centre-back.
Since then, remaining within the capital, Ibanez has emerged as a standout performer beneath former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho on the Stadio Olimpico – certainly, he’s at the moment their third highest-rated participant within the Serie A per WhoScored figures (7.42).
Do Spurs have to signal a CB in January?
YES!
NO!
Solely the artistic exploits of Paulo Dybala (7.57) and fellow midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini (7.43) higher these returns.
The ex-Fluminense titan additionally leads the squad for interceptions (2.9 per recreation) and is a detailed second in the case of tackles (2.6 per recreation) and aerial duels received (1.9 per recreation).
It builds on his spectacular marketing campaign beneath the Portuguese final season, one which led to Europa Convention League success because the Serie A outfit clinched the trophy over Feyenoord within the closing, the place Ibanez performed the complete 90 minutes and helped contribute in direction of a clear sheet.
Apparently, FBref examine his statistical profile to that of Davinson Sanchez, who has been afforded recreation time beneath Conte but it surely’s one of many 53-year-old’s former stars that he most aligns with – Alessandro Bastoni.
Spurs tried to lure the younger Italian to N17 in the summertime however he remained on the San Siro.
In the course of the 2021/22 marketing campaign, each Ibanez and Bastoni registered comparable tackles and blocks per 90 numbers, while they had been additionally strikingly alike when it got here to ball-playing potential, averaging 4.14 and 4.20 progressive passes, respectively, as per FBref.
Given his begin to the season, Conte will certainly be gutted to have missed out on such a expertise and one very akin to his former gem.
The previous prospect of getting Ibanez line up subsequent to Cristian Romero in Spurs’ backline was actually eye-catching and whenever you throw in an in-form Eric Dier because the third in a again three, the north Londoners may have deployed an aggressive-looking, pass-premium defence within the Premier League.
Ibanez, as soon as lauded as “a expertise” and as an “aggressive” defender by former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, is evidently one which has acquired away for Tottenham in latest months.
AND in different information, Spurs handed massive potential harm increase forward of the north London derby, it’s nice information for Conte…
