Opinion: Why Nikola Milenkovic would be a great signing for Spurs

With negotiations for Cristian Romero seemingly still not complete, rumours emerged last week that Spurs are looking into signing other centre-backs, one of them being Nikola Milenkovic.

Milenkovic would be a perfect signing for Spurs. First off, he matches the mould of a Daniel Levy player. The young Serb is only 23 years old, so could theoretically play for the club for years to come, would only cost €15 million, and is only on £24,000 a week.

More importantly, Milenkovic fits what this Spurs team desperately needs, a solid centre-back. One of Tottenham’s biggest weaknesses last season was the number of goals conceded via set-pieces.

Milenkovic would significantly help with this issue as the Serbian is 6’5” (1.95 meters) tall and won 136 aerial duels in Serie A, which is the fourth most in the Italian League.

Of the 297 players that had 100 or more aerial duels in Europe’s top 5 leagues last season, Nikola Milenkovic had the highest success rate (77.1%).

This is not the only area Milenkovic is strong in as he is ranked 5th in Serie A for interceptions getting 213.

Milenkovic would also help the team to improve on passing out of the back as the Serbian had an 86% pass completion in Serie A last year.

By comparison, Toby Alderweireld had 82.5% pass success, Eric Dier had 83.2% pass success, and Davinson Sanchez had 84.5% pass success in the Premier League last season.

Another benefit to Milenkovic is that he is left-footed. Spurs have not had a left-footed centre-back at the club since Jan Vertonghen’s departure in 2020.

Nikola Milenkovic would offer a sizeable upgrade on Tottenham’s current options at centre-back and if the Romero deal falls apart for whatever reason, Milenkovic could be a leader in defence.

If the deal goes through and Spurs sign the Argentinian, Milenkovic could even be the perfect partner for Romero.

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