Lenglet waiting in the wings for deal with Tottenham to be confirmed

Clement Lenglet waits patiently, wondering whether a deal that would see him land permanently at Tottenham will come to fruition.

Last week, on June 28 to be exact, the Spanish online publication Sport broke a story that Tottenham and Barcelona had reached an agreement regarding Lenglet, pre-maturely and incorrectly, mind you.

No deal had been reached. To the contrary, negotiations stalled, with Tottenham pivoting their attention to signing a bonafide starting centre-back, with three primary candidates in the running.

While Tottenham hasn’t forgotten about the Barcelona centre-back, a week without a “here we go!” during a frantic transfer period in which Spurs have already signed five players (Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Guglielmo Vicario, Manor Solomon, Pedro Porro) might seem like an eternity for Lenglet.

There is an update worth mentioning for anyone sitting on pins and needles with anticipation. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said, “I think that we will reach an agreement for Lenglet with Tottenham.”

Barça president Laporta: “I think that we will reach an agreement for Lenglet with Tottenham”. 🚨🔵🔴 #THFC

“Kessié future? We don’t know formally. If he wants to leave, we will respect it — but he can be very useful for Barça”, he told La Vanguardia. pic.twitter.com/w2wol76gFj

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 3, 2023

Those are promising words from Barcelona’s big boss.

The timeline for such a deal remains unknown, but things during the transfer period can move faster than Tinder first dates, so don’t go on a holiday without mobile service (do any of those places still exist?).

Tottenham initially didn’t want to spend over £4.5 million for Lenglet, while Barcelona is steadfast on receiving a fee closer to £9 million.

While signing an elite starting centre-back is inarguably Spurs’ top priority, landing Lenglet also represents an important bit of business.

He was one of Tottenham’s most consistent central defenders last season, which, admittedly, isn’t saying a lot.

Lenglet made 26 Premier League appearances and played in all but one of Spurs’ eight Champions League contests.

He is left-footed and can, if needed, play at left-back. Although Ange’s 4-3-3 formation isn’t conducive to Lenglet playing in an inverted fullback role.

Securing Lenglet’s services would also offer Spurs a buffer, more breathing room to sell Davinson Sanchez, and while less likely, Eric Dier, a man in Tottenham purgatory.

• Published on 07/03/2023 at 14:36 PM
• Last updated at 07/03/2023 at 14:52 PM