Thierry Henry says Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Denzel Dumfries was ‘magnificent’ for Inter Milan as they took a huge step towards reaching the Champions League final on Wednesday night.
Simone Inzaghi’s side secured a 2-0 first-leg win over their neighbours AC Milan at the San Siro, with Denzel Dumfries starting the game and causing pure havoc on the right flank.
The 27-year-old’s engine didn’t stop throughout the 90 minutes, as Inter now need to avoid defeat in the return leg and it’s only the small matter of facing the might of either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Istanbul.
Tottenham fans will know too well what it’s like to reach the final of Europe’s biggest competition, as Inter and AC Milan, who weren’t fancied much at the start of the tournament, are now looking to go down that path.
The difference here is that the Italian duo have a rich history in the Champions League and the club knows how to get over that line, it’s just a case of the new generation writing that history again.
If Inter are to see off their seven-time winning rivals next week and then win the final, a lot of it will depend on how their wing-backs perform, if they are able to push up the pitch as high as possible, with Thierry Henry lauding Inter’s stars on the flanks, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount (10/05/23 at 10:05 pm).
“Their wing-backs are always high and wide to try to use the width of the field and they do that against any team,” said Henry.
“It’s not like a Man City way of possessing the ball, we all know that. But when they go and put pressure, the wing-backs are really high in putting pressure.
“Dimarco and Dumfries were magnificent. Even on the ball, they are the guys who are high and wide for them.”
TOTTENHAM’S INTEREST IN DUMFRIES
Tottenham might be stacked with right-sided fullbacks, but it has been a problem area and it continues to be an issue for any manager that is in the club’s dugout.
Pedro Porro was brought in during the January transfer window, but has struggled with the defensive side of the game since joining, whilst summer signing Djed Spence was hardly used by the now-sacked, Antonio Conte.
That leaves Emerson Royal, who is starting to perform much better, but can Spurs go another season relying on the Brazil star for performances? Perhaps not.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the new man in the dugout, whoever it may be, decides to bring in a new face in that area, as Dumfries is a player that has been on Tottenham’s transfer radar for a while.
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