Premier League giants Everton and Spurs reportedly want Hellas Verona’s Serie A starlet Marash Kumbulla; will Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti win the race?
Tottenham Hotspur have joined Everton in the race to sign £18 million Hellas Verona defender Marash Kumbulla, according to Firenze Viola.
At the age of just 19, a teenage centre-back might have already established himself as the most gifted Albanian footballer of the last decade. 6ft 1ins Kumbulla has burst onto the scene after a series of commanding performances in Serie A, with the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan being heavily linked with a move for the £18 million-rated defender.
Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, too, is keen to sign a player who caught his eye at Napoli while Tottenham have also joined the race (FirenzeViola).
It is well documented that both Everton and Spurs need reinforcements in defence and the fact that Kumbulla is equally comfortable in a back four and a back three will not have gone unnoticed.
Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho have experimented with both systems since taking over on Merseyside and North London respectively, and the Italy-born phenomenon would bring both talent and versatility to the ranks.
“His main talent is his maturity in spite of his age,” former Hellas Verona coach Massimo Pavanel has told Firenze Viola. “He has great concentration both in the 95 minutes of games and in all the training sessions during the week.
“On the mental side, he is impressive. He seems like a veteran. He will certainly become a great player.”
Kumbulla’s Serie A career is just 12 games old and Pavanel feels that he would be better served staying with I Gialloblu for another season before aiming to prove himself at a bigger club.
But with Tottenham and Everton making their interest known, you could forgive a rising star for having his head turned.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
