The on-loan Inter Milan defender has responded to the scrutiny surrounding Tottenham Hotspur links with some fine performances for Hull City.
Anyone who has watched Inter Milan’s fall from grace with more than a passing interest in recent seasons will know exactly why Tottenham Hotspur’s January links with Andrea Ranocchia spawned a great deal of concern.
According to the Evening Standard, Mauricio Pochettino responded to Jan Vertonghen being ruled out for six weeks after picking up an injury against West Brom by expressing an interest in the £5 million-rated Italian international.
Though this was a defender whose stock had fallen so far in Italy that he lost the Inter captaincy to Mauro Icardi, found himself ousted from the national team and plummeted down the pecking order under Roberto Mancini, Frank De Boer and eventually Stefano Pioli either side of a disastrous loan spell at Sampdoria.
Therefore, Spurs fans could have been forgiven for omitting a sigh of relief once Ranocchia moved to Hull rather than White Hart Lane on loan in January, as reported by the BBC. Though few expected the 29-year-old to immediately show signs of the ability that earned him the armband at the San Siro following the retirement of the legendary Javier Zanetti.
Ranocchia may have only been on the winning side once in the Premier League, putting in a Man of the Match performance in that shock win against Liverpool, but he his leadership and tactical intelligence has helped shore up a backline that simply haemorrhaged goals before his, and Marco Silva’s, arrival.
Ranocchia also helped keep a clean-sheet against Manchester United, frustrated Arsenal for long periods and earned a draw against Burnley.
The Standard report that Tottenham may be in the market for centre-backs in the summer with Kevin Wimmer failing to win over Pochettino and Spurs could benefit from playing the long game with Ranocchia.
If he moves to White Hart Lane in the summer, he wouldn’t be arriving under scrutiny as a player who famously failed to fulfil his potential. Instead, he’d be arriving as a proven Premier League centre-back.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
