Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes Antonio Conte should snap up Harry Maguire if Manchester United let the Premier League benchwarmer leave in 2023, speaking to talkSPORT.
Maguire’s performances at the heart of Gareth Southgate’s England backline at the Qatar World Cup should act as proof that, in the right system and the right set-up, there is still a more-than useful central defender in there somewhere.
The much-maligned £80 million Man United misfit was one of England’s most consistent performers over in the Middle East. An Old Trafford revival still feels distinctly unlikely, however. Erik Ten Hag, after all, has two of Europe’s most in-form defenders at his disposal; Raphael Varane and the imperious Lisandro Martinez.
According to The Guardian, Ten Hag remains ‘intent’ on selling Maguire in the New Year.
And O’Hara believes that Tottenham could do a lot worse than a man who, let’s not forget, was a target for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City before becoming the world’s most expensive-ever centre-half just three years ago.
Should Tottenham Hotspur really rescue Harry Maguire from Manchester United?
“Tottenham (is) a shout maybe for the centre-half,” O’Hara muses. “I know we need a centre-half.”
“Manchester United are going to lose money (on Maguire). Say Spurs come in for him in January… I’d take him at Tottenham by the way. We need a centre-half.”
29-year-old Maguire still has another two-and-a-half years on his contract. Man United know, however, that they will likely have to accept a huge loss on a player who’s reputation has essentially gone nine rounds with Mike Tyson over the last few campaigns. Battered, bruised, bloodied.
Then again, Maguire is hardly the only player who suffered during a disastrous 2021/22 campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford. The former Leicester City colossus also looks ill-suited to Ten Hag’s front-foot gameplan; one which requires his centre-halves to push high up the pitch and win the ball back as quickly as possible.
Maguire would certainly find it easier to adapt to Conte’s more pragmatic, reactive gameplan at Tottenham. He is, after all, at his most effective with his back pinned firmly against the wall; winning headers, throwing his body on the line and marshalling a deep-lying backline.
Spurs appear to be prioritising midfield reinforcements in the New Year; both attacking and defensive. Ruslan Malinovskyi and Sofyan Amrabat are two potential additions.
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