If Harry Maguire does leave Hull then Tottenham should resist signing him.
Hull City’s Harry Maguire celebrates scoring their fourth goal
The departure of Harry Maguire from Hull City this summer looks inevitable, following both the club’s relegation from the Premier League and Marco Silva’s exit to become Watford manager.
The Mirror are reporting that Maguire wants to stay in the top flight after impressing with the Tigers in 2016/17 and that Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are in a two-way scrap to sign the centre-back.
Watford’s Etienne Capoue in action with Hull City’s Harry Maguire
According to the report it will cost £22m to sign the 24-year-old from the KCOM Stadium, a price that seems quite steep for a defender that only has 32 matches of Premier League experience to his name and has played the majority of his career in League One.
Yet his status as a homegrown England player is appealing (and almost certainly plays a part in an inflated price), but it is a deal that would not suit Spurs or the exciting project Mauricio Pochettino is overseeing in North London.
In a 3-4-3 formation that saw Tottenham finish second in the top flight last term, the three-man central defence is dominated by Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen – two players among the best in the division in the position and who would not be usurped by Maguire.
Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen after the game
Between them is Eric Dier, who although has adapted into a defensive midfielder as well during his time at White Hart Lane, came through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon as a centre-back and whose ability on the ball perfectly complements the defensive resolve of Alderweireld and Vertonghen.
If Dier were to be pushed back up into midfield or, if the Sun is to be believed, sold to Manchester United then a ball-playing central defender/sweeper is needed – something Maguire is not.
At best, if the former Sheffield United man was signed by Spurs he would be a capable backup for Alderweireld and Vertonghen; a position that does not warrant a £22m fee or would appeal to his ambitions of regular Premier League action.
Arsenal’s Theo Walcott clashes with Hull City’s Harry Maguire
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