With Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld not getting any younger, Spurs should consider the 21-year-old Norwegian for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a bright season last time out, reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League’s top four, but with the squad stretched to the limit in the wake of two transfer windows bereft of recruitment, it’s set to be an important summer for the club.
While there has been much talk about bolstering the midfield, the defence certainly needs a look, with both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen now the wrong side of 30, both players’ contracts expiring in 2020, and in Alderweireld’s case, the reported clause in his contract that could see him leave this summer for £25million (Daily Mail).
When it comes to centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk is arguably number one in the game right now, having come a long way since arriving in Britain from his native Netherlands, going from Celtic to Southampton and then to Liverpool, where he has been nothing short of sensational.
Celtic currently have another very talented centre-back on their books that has played a huge part in their recent successes, namely 21-year-old Kristoffer Ajer, who has been described by Bhoys legend John Hartson as the club’s number one defender (Glasgow Evening Times) and by Herald Scotland as having a playing style “strikingly similar” to VVD.
The 6ft 4in Norwegian is a centre-back first and foremost but can also play right-back (Transfermarkt), has already got six trophy medals under his belt – two Scottish Premierships, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups – and has been capped 10 times by Norway.
Although Ajer insists he’s happy at Celtic (The Scotsman), the prospect of working for one of the best coaching setups in Britain, proven at getting the absolute best out of players, in a talented young team with lots of potential, in a state-of-the-art new stadium and, of course, impressing in the Premier League and Champions League, could prove tempting.
How much would Ajer cost, I hear you say? In terms of valuation, the only one that can be found at present is from Transfermarkt, which stands £1.8million, but in all honesty this is likely to be way off the mark given just how talented the player is, and as such, Spurs would likely have to go directly to source to find out.
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