Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur is linked with a transfer move away from N17. (imago Images)
As per a report by Football.london, Fabio Paratici, the new Director of Football at Tottenham Hotspur, has slapped a £30million price tag on defender Ben Davies amid transfer interest from Italy. The former Swansea City defender joined Spurs all the way back in 2014 and has been at the club for 7 years now.
The 28-year-old, according to a recent report by RAI journalist Ciro Venerato (h/t football.london), is linked with a potential move to Napoli as a backup target. And here, we look at why Tottenham Hotspur should keep a hold of the Wales international at a time when the club can expect to go through a mini rebuild before the start of next season.
Jose Mourinho made an important signing for Spurs last summer when Real Madrid’s Sergio Reguilon made the journey from Spain to London. The 24-year-old was the club’s first-choice left-back but Mourinho needed Davies when Reguilon encountered an injury.
Davies stepped in to play as a left-back/left wing-back, depending on the formation that was deployed. Without Davies, they would have been in a tough situation. So if a similar situation repeats next season, it would be useful for the Spurs manager, whoever it is, to have a natural left-back available for selection.
But we must ask ourselves if Davies is a backup or someone who can compete with Reguilon for consistent starts. After all, the former Swans full-back made 20 league appearances during this campaign, 7 less than Reguilon. And most of his time out from the line-up was when he encountered an injury during the end of the season.
In that regard, Spurs are blessed to have two able left-backs competing for minutes down that side, which is something every team would love to have. Disrupting that may come back to haunt the club. If they sell Davies without bringing in a replacement, then they would be weakening themselves.
Left-back Danny Rose has already joined Watford as a free agent as his contract at N17 is set to expire in a matter of days. Aurier, a right-back, is also linked with an exit as Sky Sports mentions that the Ivorian may not sign a new contract.
Aurier’s departure can impact the left-back position as well. During Reguilon’s injury this season and Davies’ energy inclusion as a centre-back against Liverpool, Matt Doherty, a right-back, started as a left wing-back. That was only possible because Aurier was holding down the fort on the right flank.
If the Ivorian leaves, Spurs would need their full-backs more than ever. Moreover, this should be a summer of adding players to the squad. Spurs missed out on Champions League and Europa League qualification this season, something which they would want to achieve next season.
And selling players that can play a part in your starting XI is not the wisest way to get there. There is also no urgency to sell Davies, who is on a contract that expires only after 3 years. Hence, Paratici and Daniel Levy should not jump the gun to part ways with Davies just yet, no matter what the price is.
