Kevin Campbell is confident Tottenham will sign Stefan de Vrij in the January window after the appointment of Antonio Conte.
Antonio Conte’s arrival has resulted in more players from Serie A being linked with a move to Tottenham. After playing under the Italian manager last season at Inter Milan, Stefan de Vrij is the latest to see his name appear on Fabio Paratici’s shortlist.
Tottenham were interested in de Vrij’s teammate Milan Skriniar who Jose Mourinho wanted during his time. Conte’s arrival has probably led them to shift focus to the Dutchman who was key to them winning the Serie A last season. The problem, however, would be moving some of the existing centre-backs at the club.
Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon are all on the books, while Cristian Romero has been fairly impressive since his arrival. The defence overall has been shambolic though, and expectations that Conte taking over the reins will change that are strong.
Paratici would want to bring de Vrij to shore up the defensive options to provide Conte with a strong platform to operate. If this one fails, there are other targets in mind, although former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell suggests a move looks imminent.
Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell suggested Conte might want de Vrij as soon as January as the current Spurs defence is not considered good enough. He stated de Vrij might allow Conte to express his style of play on the pitch.
Campbell said, “Do they need another centre-half? They have got numbers back there. Conte will have his own mind of what he wants to do and how he wants to play. The key is signing players who are going to make this team better. They don’t need bodies.
“If De Vrij is the one Conte’s wants, Spurs will go and get him. Conte is very ruthless like that. I’m sure we’ll see him in a Spurs shirt soon.”
With de Vrij’s contract expiring in 2023, the defender might look to challenge himself in the Premier League with other clubs also showing an interest. Leicester City were very keen in the summer. But, Tottenham might become the favourite if the Dutchman shows interest in a reunion with Conte.
