Paratici to fix Tottenham defensive woes with €40m January swoop for elite Brazilian star | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly look to fix their current defensive issues by sporting director Fabio Paratici visiting familiar hunting ground and landing an elite Brazilian defender, with TEAMtalk assessing how the move could galvanise skipper Cristian Romero into finding his best form again.

The Argentine saved two of his worst performances of the season so far for two of the biggest games, as Spurs shipped nine goals in losses to Arsenal and PSG over the space of just four days.

Those poor defensive displays were not all Romero‘s fault but he looked flustered against Arsenal, picking up a booking that will see him banned for this weekend’s clash with Fulham. His second-half performance in Paris, meanwhile, was littered with errors as Tottenham threw away the chance of netting a famous win over the reigning European champions for the second time in a matter of months.

Thomas Frank is said to be concerned about the manner of goals his side are conceding, and has instructed Paratici to look at bolstering his backline in the new year.

To that end, the latest reports from Italy suggest that the Italian is ready to raid his old stamping ground again by making a move for Juventus centre-back Gleison Bremer, a player who has long been on the club’s radar.

According to a report by Italian outlet Tutto Juve, the 28-year-old is once again a major target for Tottenham ahead of the January window.

The Brazil international has been one of the most accomplished defenders in Serie A for some time, having joined Torino in 2018 before moving to Juve in 2022.

Bremer has now made almost 100 appearances for the Bianconeri, also chipping in with eight goals to show his set-piece threat – the sort of goal threat that will be music to the ears of Thomas Frank.

While the report claims that Juventus are not actively looking to part ways with Bremer, he could be sold for a fee in the region of €40m (£35m / $46m).

Tottenham need to put pressure on Romero

While Tottenham moving for another central defender could be viewed as surprising for some, their depth at the position is not particularly great when it comes to sheer talent levels.

Kevin Danso has done a decent job when called upon, but is certainly not at the level of Micky van de Ven or Romero. Radu Dragusin is on his way back from an ACL injury but was hardly a world-beater when he played, often getting caught out with poor positional play.

Spurs did sign promising Japan international Kota Takai over the summer, while there are high hopes that Luka Vuskovic, who is currently on loan in Germany, has a big future in north London.

However, overall, it’s not a strong group, and it’s very clear that Romero does not feel threatened by any of the players below him, with his lackadaisical play often evidence of that.

In short, Tottenham need another elite-level centre-back to put pressure on their current skipper, who was heavily linked with a move to Spain before penning a new contract in north London back in August.

Whether that defender is Bremer remains to be seen, given Juve’s stance on keeping the player. However, it’s clear that the position needs addressing sooner rather than later.

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