Spurs eyeing Monaco defender Vanderson

An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their pursuit of a new right wing-back ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, sporting director Fabio Paratici has a number of wing-backs on his radar and wants to bring in a player in that position to bolster Antonio Conte’s squad.

The report claims that AS Monaco dynamo Vanderson is one of the players on the Italian’s shortlist as he is a fan of the young full-back, although they are also looking at Pedro Porro, of Sporting CP, Denzel Dumfries, of Inter, and Lyon’s Malo Gusto.

Back in September, it was reported that the Ligue 1 outfit wanted €60m (£53m) and this latest report does not add a new figure into the mix.

Big Matt Doherty upgrade

Matt Doherty has played nine times in the Premier League this season and started the club’s most recent clash in the division in the 2-2 draw with Brentford on Boxing Day.

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The Republic of Ireland international has, however, failed to impress as he has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.79 and made 1.8 tackles and interceptions per match, whilst creating 0.4 chances per outing.

He also turns 31 in January and the upcoming transfer window provides Spurs with the opportunity to sign an upgrade on the defender, which could then open the door for them to move him on to another club heading into the second half of the season.

Vanderson could be the player to replace Doherty as he has shown plenty of promise in Ligue 1 this season. The Brazilian has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.86 and made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and this suggests that he would offer more to Spurs from a defensive perspective.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig previously described the “complete” full-back as a “similar” player to former Inter Milan and Brazil full-back “Maicon“, who won the Champions League and was capped 76 times by country.

The Monaco man has shown off his well-rounded game by being in the 84th and 89th percentile respective amongst his positional peers for progressive passes and dribbles completed per 90 in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days. Doherty, meanwhile, is in the 10th and 29th percentile in those particular statistics and does not offer much in terms of quality in possession.

Therefore, Vanderson would be a big upgrade on the Irishman, who is nine years his senior, at right wing-back. The 21-year-old’s statistics indicate that he would improve Conte’s team in and out of possession and Paratici must now work hard to complete a deal for the dynamo.