Tottenham open discussions with Lingard
Manchester United outcast and England international midfielder Jesse Lingard is the subject of interest from Antonio Conte’s Tottenham as Spurs look to add further depth and quality under the Italian headmaster.
According to Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold, the north London outfit made contact with Lingard’s camp with a view of bringing him to the English capital in the summer when his contract runs down at Old Trafford at the end of the current 2021-22 Premier League campaign.
Also mentioned was the possibility of the club seeking out a move during the current January window should the Red Devils give the green light on a sanctioned sale to a rival in the hunt for top for, but BBC Sport reporter Simon Stone provided additional clarity on Lingard’s position, stating that the United academy graduate is not keen on a winter exit.
As per @AlasdairGold, Tottenham have spoken to Jesse Lingard camp re summer move. Lingard doesn’t want to leave Man Utd this month but out of contract at end of season. Was told by OGS he would get chances this season but not materialised.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 11, 2022
His frustration justifiably continues, however, after former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær promised the Warrington-native chances this season but failed to deliver; a trend that now continues under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
All told, Lingard has logged just 272-minutes of action across appearing in four different competitions for United while being given the nod in the matchday XI on only two occasions, none of which came in the Premier League.
Ajax bid for Bergwijn has knock-on effects in Traoré interest
Legendary Dutch outfit Ajax Amsterdam is tracking Spurs winger Steven Bergwijn in a possible move for the former PSV Eindhoven standout that would see him return to the Netherlands after two underwhelming years in north London.
ROTTERDAM – Steven Bergwijn of Holland celebrates 1-0 during the World Cup qualifier match between the Netherlands and Norway at Stadion de Kuip on November 16, 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. KOEN VAN WEEL (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
But Tottenham rejected the initial £15million offer from de Godenzonen (also according to Alasdair Gold in the report linked above) despite his struggle to secure first-choice status under Conte since the Italian’s arrival due to regular injury concerns.
Spurs would hope to receive a larger fee for Bergwijn given the price they paid (£27million) to secure his services from PSV, and though every Spurs manager he has served under has spoken highly of him, his potential departure could open the door for Tottenham to continue their hunt for Wolves winger Adama Traoré.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 16: Matty Cash of Aston Villa (l) competes with Adama Traoré of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park on October 16, 2021 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
The club has been linked with interest in the Spanish international and La Masia graduate since Fabio Paratici and Nuno Espírito Santo both arrived in the capital this summer, and that interest persists given Paratici’s long-standing interest in the 25-year-old.
Given the struggles of current right-sided wing-back options Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty, it is thought that Traoré would be re-tasked in a wing-back role rather than utilized as a wide forward under Conte.
But Traoré would still offer tactical options for the former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager, capable of being deployed on either flank further forward or possibly transitioned as mentioned, he could serve as a quality utility player at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium moving forward.
