Premier League underachievers Spurs need a new defender – should Jose Mourinho move for Celtic’s Scottish Premiership champion Kristoffer Ajer?
With Tottenham Hotspur caught between the decline of an old era and a rise of a new, exciting one, any criticism aimed at Jose Mourinho right now deserves a little context.
The ageing trio of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris are a pale imitation of their former selves, so it’s no wonder Mourinho is struggling to get a tune out of a backline which, for a while at least, was the Premier League’s best during the heady days of the Mauricio Pochettino era.
With Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez oscillating wildly between inspired and abysmal, and with neither Japhet Tangana or Ryan Sessegnon anywhere near the finished article, football’s arch pragmatist seems powerless to prevent the goals from flying in at a remarkable rate.
So, just two days after a 3-0 humiliation at the hands of RB Leipzig, a club that didn’t even exist the last time Spurs lifted a major trophy, Tottenham might have been handed a timely boost.
“He will not extend his contract with Celtic and will leave this summer,” those are the words of Kristoffer Ajer’s agent, as reported by the Daily Record.
“There are several clubs who are interested, but I can’t go into their names. There are many who have followed him for a long period.”
A Norwegian international appears to be going the way of Virgil van Dijk, Moussa Dembele and co after outgrowing the relatively small pond that is Scottish football.
As for those long-standing suitors, well it would be little surprise if Tottenham were amongst them. Ajer, a man-mountain of a defender with the technical skills to match his 6ft 4ins frame, not to mention versatile enough to thrive at centre-half or right-back, looks like an ideal addition for a Tottenham side lacking quality or quantity in both areas.
The North London giants have shown interest before, back in 2018. (TEAMtalk).
And with Celtic expected to demand a fee of around £20 million, Ajer would take a sizable, yet manageable, chunk out of Mourinho’s transfer budget.
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