An update has emerged on Lille defender Sven Botman, regarding Tottenham's interest in his services.

What's the talk?

According to Sky Sports (10:22 - 28/07/21), Tottenham are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Lille centre-back Sven Botman as Nuno Santo attempts to restructure his defensive options.

The report claims West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Norwich are tracking him, whilst Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs have tentative interest at this stage.

Upgrade on Sanchez

Fabio Paratici must sanction a swoop for Botman this summer as he would be a much-needed, quality, addition to the squad.

Spurs are being touted with a deal for Atalanta defender Christian Romero, but he could be viewed as a replacement for Toby Alderweireld - who left the club earlier this month.

Botman, meanwhile, could be seen as an upgrade on a player who is already at the club; Davinson Sanchez. The centre-back endured a dismal 2020/21 campaign, as he averaged a disappointing WhoScored rating of 6.67 in 18 Premier League appearances for Spurs. This suggests that Santo requires an improvement in that area of the pitch, in addition to the potential arrival of Romero.

Therefore, Spurs landing the Ligue 1 gem could improve the defensive options that Santo has to work with. Lille head coach Christophe Galtier hailed the former Ajax player as a "leader" on the pitch with his impressive performances for the French club.

"In football, you have leaders who are vocal, ones who gesticulate and ones who shake the team up… I have a few of those.

"But you also have people who lead by example, through their performances, and it's true that Sven is emerging as this type of leader."

The 6ft 3 beast averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.99 across 37 Ligue 1 starts as Lille won the title last term. This shows that he is capable of consistently performing to a higher standard than Sanchez at the top level, whilst he is also four years younger than the Spurs man.

The Lille ace has the potential for further improvement at his young age and he could grow under Santo's coaching, making him an asset in both the short and the long term.

Paratici must work hard to get deals over the line for both the Dutchman and Romero this summer, assuming it is within the budget they have set themselves. If they can do that then Tottenham should have a reliable defensive unit in the 2021/22 campaign.

AND in other news, Paratici could land dream signing for Spurs with £50m swoop for “complete number nine”...