Tottenham Hotspur have commenced the 2023/24 Premier League campaign with promise, having defeated Manchester United after drawing away to Brentford, but are still hoping for one or two more signings before the transfer window closes next week.
A raft of signings have been made already since Ange Postecoglou took the helm in June, but despite the arrivals of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro (the latter's loan move made permanent), the work still feels incomplete.
Indeed, Spurs shipped 63 goals last term – conceding more than all but the three relegated outfits and newly-promoted sides Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest – and as such, one more move to strengthen the backline further would surely be worthwhile.
What's the latest on Tosin Adarabioyo to Tottenham?
That's according to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, who claims that while Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo wishes to be sold to Monaco this summer, the Cottagers hope for Spurs to launch a bid and offer Eric Dier in return.
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Hawkins revealed earlier in the window that Fulham would hope to recuperate around €15m (£13m) for the 25-year-old, who has entered the final year of his £37k-per-week contract at Craven Cottage.
How good is Tosin Adarabioyo?
The Manchester-born defender has been instrumental for Marco Silva's side since signing from Manchester City in 2020, having made 107 appearances, guiding the club up from the Championship and cementing their position as an established top-flight outfit.
His performances over the past several seasons – showings that have left the likes of writer Muhammad Butt hailing him as "magnificent" – are evidence enough that he would improve Tottenham's defence, and he would undoubtedly be an upgrade on the struggling Davinson Sanchez.
Spurs' Colombian centre-half signed from Ajax for £42m in 2017, which was a club record at the time, and arrived with a weight of expectation, with former manager Mauricio Pochettino even proclaiming that he could become one of the world's best defenders.
It's safe to say that he has flattered to deceive, with pundit Jamie O'Hara even branding the 27-year-old "one of Tottenham's worst ever players", having also compounded his situation by recording an average Sofascore rating of just 6.75 last term, very much at the epicentre of the club's defensive woes and keeping only two clean sheets from 18 outings.
Adarabioyo, comparatively, has been thriving; last term the Whalley Range-born titan recorded an average league score of 6.89, completing 82% of his passes and making a staggering 5.5 clearances per game.
In fact, he ranks among the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for clearances per 90, which underscores his impressive robustness and athleticism, batting away danger and protecting the goalkeeper's net.
A no-nonsense central defender, Adarabioyo would evidently bolster Postecoglou's backline in an instant and would do so for a bargain fee, and with the increments being made for the side's resurgence this term, the Fulham ace would prove to be a major success story if Spurs do ward off the competition to secure his signature.
