Alasdair Gold has revealed that Antonio Conte is a fan of West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek, amidst reports linking Tottenham with a move for the Hammers star.
According to reports, Conte wants six new additions during the summer transfer window including two midfielders (Telegraph).
Several Premier League stars including the likes of Brighton’s Yves Bissouma (Daily Mail), Leicester’s Youri Tielemans (GiveMeSport) and Wolves’ Ruben Neves (90 min), are alleged to be on the North London club’s radar.
More recently two other names have been mentioned as potential targets for Spurs – Soucek and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse (Daily Mail).
Gold has now revealed that Tottenham have had their eyes on Ward-Prowse for a long time and insisted the 27-year-old would be a good fit for the Lilywhites, with Conte looking for a more creative option in the middle of the park.
He also suggested that despite Conte being a fan of Soucek, the Hammers star possesses a pretty similar skillset to the midfielders the club already have.
When asked about Tottenham’s interest in Ward-Prowse and Soucek on a Q&A in Football.London, Gold responded: “Spurs have long been keeping an eye on James Ward-Prowse but I wonder just how expensive he’ll be this summer with four years left on his contract and plenty of interested parties.
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“He’d be an excellent addition though for Tottenham with his leadership abilities, dynamic play and of course those set pieces.
“As for Tomas Soucek, there are suggestions that Conte is a fan but unless there’s an unexpected departure this summer then Spurs seem pretty well stocked for defensive central midfielders with Bentancur, Hojbjerg and Skipp.
“I think Harry Winks probably will move on this summer to get regular football but I reckon Conte would want a more attack-minded, creative player to round out his options and allow him to play a 3-5-2.
“Ward-Prowse does fit the bill nicely as well as being a homegrown player, but it depends how much Spurs are willing to spend on one position.”
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Neither Soucek nor Ward-Prowse would be realistic targets for Spurs unless they push for a move. Tielemans and Bissouma would be much more realistic as they look destined to leave their respective clubs this summer, owing to having just 12 months left on their contracts.
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