Coach desperate to keep Italy star amidst Tottenham and Arsenal links

Torino coach Ivan Juric is desperate for star striker Andrea Belotti to commit his future to the Italian club amidst interest from Premier League clubs in the shape of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur (Gazzetta dello Sport).

Corriere Granata reported that Tottenham were admirers of the Italian striker and Tuttosport also revealed that Arsenal were keen on Belotti.

Belotti was a Euro 2020 winner with Italy this summer, albeit not securing a consistent place in the starting XI. He accumulated 216 minutes throughout the tournament mainly coming off the bench (Transfermarkt).

Belotti has a legendary legacy at Torino; scoring an impressive 105 goals while also grabbing 26 assists in all competitions since 2015.

Belotti has just one year left on his current deal which expires in 2022. This means he could sign a pre-contract agreement in January or leave the club as a free agent next summer unless Torino can convince him to sign a new deal or sell him in the near future.

Manager Juric has now spoken openly about wanting to keep the striker.

He said: “I want (Belotti) to tell me: ‘Coach, I want to stay here. I’m your captain, let’s go to war.’

“I hope he will be convinced he can score 20 goals with this team. That’s my idea.

“I understand Andrea might have some concerns after two disappointing years. But I start from scratch and say two years ago Belotti was an absolute top player – but he hasn’t been in the last two years.

“I don’t think he played a good season (in 2020/21). But if Belotti works properly, I’m convinced we will get back a great centre-forward. But he must regain the real spark, which he might have lost in recent years.”

SpursWeb Opinion 

Belotti has proven his worth at Torino; it has weirdly similar comparisons to Kane at Spurs. So it would be oddly amusing yet satisfying if he was Kane’s replacement. He’s a good enough striker, at a good age, and could be fairly cheap.

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