A switch by Takehiro Tomiyasu to Spurs would be a major blow to Bologna, the Serie A club’s former captain Marcello Castellini has told Corriere di Bologna, via TMW.
Almost 20 years on from Kazuyuki Toda’s forgettable, four-game loan spell in north London, Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to bring another Japan international to England.
But fear not Spurs fans, there’s no reason to believe Tomiyasu is destined to join Toda in the sprawling pantheon of forgettable Spurs signings.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
The adaptable 22-year-old is a player who seems to improve by the week, a commanding central defender and an effective full-back rolled into one.
Versatility goes a long way in modern football and whoever takes over from Jose Mourinho in the Tottenham dugout will surely find a place for a man who can play across the back line with minimal fuss.
Sky Sports yesterday reported Tottenham’s new sporting director Fabio Paratici has approached Bologna about a potential £17 million deal for Tomiyasu.
We can only assume Tomiyasu caught Paratici’s eye during his final season in the Juventus boardroom. And it seems Paratici is ready to press ahead with a deal for a man who spent a year in Belgium before moving to Italy in 2019.
How do Bologna replace Spurs target Tomiyasu?
Tomiyasu, who has previously been linked with West Ham United and Southampton, won’t be an easy man to replace either, as the former Bologna skipper is at pains to point out.
“Unfortunately, in this period (with covid), even important clubs have to sell,” Castellini explains.
“But the sale of Tomiyasu would cause big headaches. Bologna would lose one of their best players, someone who has grown a lot.
“It would be a very big loss, hard to replace from a technical point of view.”
Tutto Atalanta reports that, ahem, Atalanta have also expressed an interest in Tomiyasu.
But one of the most gifted footballers to come out of Asia in recent times is sure to find the lure of the Premier League difficult to resist.
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