Harry Redknapp has claimed that Tottenham should look to sign Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini as someone to bring leadership and a veteran presence to Antonio Conte’s defence.
Spurs announced that the Italian would be taking charge of the club earlier this week after Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties.
He is the latest manager to be tasked with turning Spurs’ fortunes around, and he will likely continue to perform a switch-up of the club’s dimension into his preferred system.
Conte deployed a back-three for his first game in charge against Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League, in what is still a trial period for the 52-year-old with his new team. This formation was then seen again in the 0-0 draw against Everton.
Chiellini, 37, has worked with Conte on multiple occasions before with Juventus and on international duty with Italy and has previously been a fixture in the former Chelsea manager’s system.
Former Spurs manager Redknapp believes Conte should push Spurs to pursue a move for the Italy international and Serie A veteran, as he can be a useful addition to the squad from a leadership point of view.
He told The Sun: “Over the next few weeks, no doubt, we’ll see a list of the supposed big-name targets he wants when the transfer window opens.
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“I doubt very much if 37-year-old Giorgio Chiellini will be on it but, for me, he’s the one man the new Spurs manager should move Heaven and Earth to bring to London with him.
“I’ve said plenty of times that squad is packed with talent but what they really need is a leader, an organiser, a winner – and Chiellini ticks every one of those boxes.
“And as for his age? Well, he didn’t do too badly at the heart of that Italian defence in the Euros, did he? It’s not as though he’s finished, by any means.
Redknapp also backed Spurs to go ahead with pursuing Chiellini by referencing the solid performances of Chelsea defender Thiago Silva following his move to West London last season.
He added: “I love the guy, he’s a real character, and even if it’s only for a year, two at most, he could transform the place. It’s pretty obvious Conte will go with three at the back. That’s a system he loves and has been successful with before, so I think that’s a given.
“You stick Chiellini in the middle and let him run the show. You don’t need him in the channels, just heading the ball away and organising the rest.
“He played under Conte at Juventus when they were winning everything, so there’s already a relationship there. It worked for Chelsea when they got Thiago Silva, who was nearly 36 at the time, and I could see Chiellini having the same impact at Spurs.
“He’s got a year left on his contract at Juventus but I’d have a go at getting him. And if that fails, then go for his pal Leonardo Bonucci on the same basis.”
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Chiellini still looks like an adequate defender despite his age, which we saw at Euro 2020. However, this would seem like a move that Spurs would rarely push to achieve, where they would go for options with longevity instead.
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