Tottenham Hotspur must make an attempt to land England’s World Cup hero Harry Maguire this summer. The 25-year-old, who currently plies his trade with Leicester City, played exceptionally in Russia to inevitably attract interest from clubs, Spurs included.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino must find a replacement for Toby Alderweireld, who is set to leave North London for opportunities elsewhere. The Argentine should procure someone who is equally good with and without the ball, and Maguire fits that bill perfectly, as depicted by his performances in the World Cup.
At 25, the Sheffield-born centre-back has plenty of top-level years ahead of him and Pochettino could be the right manager for him.
Now, let us take an in-depth look at the player and subtly compare him with Alderweireld to conclude as to why Spurs should sign him.
Age – 25
Position – Centre-back
Maguire is quite a unique centre-back. He is a solid mixture of physical power and glorious guile. In fact, he is adept at winning headers and possesses the required physicality to shrug off centre-forwards with ease, while making the ball talk with his incisive passes. The 25-year-old’s stature allows him to be a genuine threat from set-pieces, as exhibited in Russia in the past month or so.
The England international is clever at reading games and intercepting through balls. In fact, he mustered an average interception and tackle rate of 1.3 and 1.7 respectively in the Premier League last season. Meanwhile, Alderweireld only managed to average 0.3 interceptions and 1.4 tackles.
Furthermore, Maguire’s bulky build is just a false indication of the fact that he can’t make recovery runs when caught in a high line.
With the attributes he possesses, the 25-year-old can fit perfectly in Pochettino’s high-intensity system, without a shadow of a doubt. In a way, his style is similar to that Jan Vertonghen’s, meaning the Belgian will complement him well.
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The fact that Maguire has played for defensive-minded teams like Hull City and Leicester City in the past two seasons, and has been their best defender, speaks volumes about the player. He has the required abilities to succeed in Tottenham and ably partner either Vertonghen or Davinson Sanchez.
