Spurs could land very own Declan Rice with bid for £30m “superstar”

Spurs could land very own Declan Rice with bid for £30m “superstar”

Before Tottenham Hotspur secured their second Premier League victory in a row against struggling Nottingham Forest on Friday evening, Ange Postecoglou revealed that signing a centre-back is his priority in January.

Micky van de Ven was signed in the summer to partner the aggressive Cristian Romero at the heart of the backline, and while the Dutchman had enjoyed a terrific start to life on English shores, he has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for over a month and is not on the cusp of a return yet.

Romero, too, has been unavailable of late after recently returning from a three-match suspension; it is concerning that the Argentinian star’s recklessness remains intrinsic to his style, and could hamper Postecoglou’s side down the line.

But the defence isn’t the only area of the pitch to require attention, with the midfield also nursing injuries to key members James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur – a situation that is compounded by the impending absence of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr due to the African Cup of Nations.

Tottenham transfer news – Arthur Vermeeren

Postecoglou wants a central defender and rightly so, but Spurs’ transfer attention over the next six weeks or so should centre on the engine room too, and, as such, Arthur Vermeeren would be the perfect signing to make.

According to a report from 90min last week, Tottenham have recently sent scouts to observe Vermeeren in action for Royal Antwerp against Barcelona in the Champions League – an audition he passed with flying colours.

While the Belgian Pro League side are reluctant to sell, offers surpassing €35m (£30m) would likely be too enticing to reject, and Tottenham could take advantage of this to land the 18-year-old prodigy.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy will have to move quickly though, with Arsenal and Manchester City among the raft of top European outfits interested in a deal.

Arthur Vermeeren’s career so far

Vermeeren might only be in the embryonic stage of his career but there is little question surrounding his potential as one of Europe’s leading midfielders in the future, having already chalked up 63 appearances for Royal Antwerp, scoring three goals and providing seven assists.

In the Belgian first division this season, Vermeeren has scored once and provided two assists across 18 appearances, completing 87% of his passes, averaging 1.1 key passes, 1.9 tackles and 7.3 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

Hailed as “one of the most complete young midfielders in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vermeeren has understandably got the lion’s share of Europe’s most prominent clubs eager to pursue a deal, with his display against Barcelona to close the Champions League group stage confirming his elite status.

In the dead-rubber match, Antwerp defeated the LaLiga champions 3-2 to end their continental campaign on a high, with the young Belgian opening the scoring in the opening minute, winning four duels, succeeding with all three of his attempted dribbles and making one tackle, clearance and blocked shot.

A display of profound precocity, Vermeeran engineered the victory with his early strike, capitalising on Inaki Pena’s goalkeeping error, announcing himself as one of Europe’s standout prospects and supporting claims from the likes of 90min’s Graeme Bailey that he is a budding “superstar”.

Already with two Belgium caps to his name, Vermeeren would be a credit to Tottenham’s project and would strengthen a youthful crop that already tantalises much success down the line.

How Arthur Vermeeren compares to Declan Rice

According to GOAL, when it comes to playing style and development cycle, Vermeeren might just be the second coming of Premier League machine Declan Rice, only increasing the appeal for Postecoglou’s side to complete a deal ahead of other top rivals.

Rice completed a £105m transfer to Arsenal from West Ham United in the summer after amassing 245 appearances for the east London side, playing an instrumental role in the ascent under David Moyes’ tutelage, culminating with triumph in the Europa Conference League in June.

The £240k-per-week star is celebrated for his athleticism and tackling ability, impressively combative and always enterprising in possession; his never-say-die attitude has clinched three points in the dying embers on multiple occasions for the Emirates side.

A midfielder of balanced ability, Vermeeren ranks within the top 25% of positional peers across divisions similar to the Belgian Pro League for progressive passes, tackles, interceptions and clearances per 90, as per FBref, which highlights the budding skill set that encapsulates multiple facets of the midfield game.

So too does Rice combine a wealth of tactical roles to produce complete performances with stunning constancy in the Arsenal engine room, having been proclaimed to be Arsenal’s “Mr 9/10” by CBS Sports’ James Benge for his unwavering talismanic displays in the centre.

Declan Rice: Key Strengths

Passing

Long passing

Interceptions

Long shots

*Sourced via WhoScored

To highlight this, the 24-year-old ranks among the top 18% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 17% for pass completion, the top 15% for progressive passes, the top 6% for interceptions and the top 19% for clearances per 90.

He has also scored three goals and supplied one assist from 17 appearances in the English top-flight, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 5.0 ball recoveries and 2.1 tackles per match and winning 56% of his ground duels in the relentlessness of the midfield battles.

Very much a “Rolls-Royce” midfielder – as has been said by reporter Joshua Mbu – as Arsenal chase down their first Premier League trophy in two decades, Rice is the lynchpin in the middle.

For Spurs, a silver-laden finish to the league campaign is perhaps unattainable this year, but with some shrewd investment, there is no reason why the ambitious Postecoglou can’t guide Spurs towards newfound success.

Vermeeren would be essential in this regard; a remarkable teenage talent with experience on the biggest stage already under the belt, he could be the dream addition to strengthen the north London club’s centre.

With the making of the complete midfielder – as has already been remarked by Kulig – Vermeeren could match Rice in the coming years to steer Tottenham toward an illustrious future.