Why Tottenham Hotspur must hold onto Serge Aurier
According to Calciomercato (h/t Sky Sports), AC Milan are interested in Tottenham Hotspur full-back Serge Aurier.
The Serie A side has been tracking the £70,000-a-week star for some time now. However, they never approached him due to his high market value and expensive wages. Meanwhile, coach Stefano Pioli’s Milan are in search of an established full-back with the side’s right-back duties being shared by the Italian duo of Andrea Conti and Davide Calabria.
Once a domestic powerhouse, Milan are way down the pecking order in the league table at seventh place. They have conceded 34 goals from 26 matches this season.
With Milan’s performances at the back not up to the mark this season, their interest in Aurier makes perfect sense. The report also suggests that Tottenham are now willing to offload their first-choice right-back, whose continued attitude and behavioural problems has left them frustrated.
Aurier has had a mixed season at Tottenham. Despite making 33 appearances, scoring two goals and giving seven assists, Aurier has failed to impress their new boss Jose Mourinho.
The Ivorian, who joined Spurs in 2017, finally got an opportunity to establish himself as the side’s No.1 right-back when Kieran Trippier left. However, Aurier has failed to make the spot his own.
Tottenham in a safe spot with Aurier around
However, despite, featuring in almost every game for the Spurs this season, luck does not seem to favour the 26-year-old. A struggling Tottenham defence involving Aurier has conceded 40 goals from 29 league games this term, that has seen the club slip to a lowly ninth place in the league standings.
Spurs along with Burnley share the worst defensive record among the top-ten Premier League sides. With Aurier failing to make an impact at Tottenham, their decision to sell him seems logical.
However, there is a major problem. Aurier is the side’s only established right-back at the moment. Except for youngster Kyle Walker-Peters, they do not have enough back-ups in that position.
However, Mourinho sent Walker-Peters on loan to Southampton in January. The 23-year-old is expected to return at the end of this season but he lacks experience and is clearly not one of Mourinho’s favourites.
Considering all this, it would be safe for Mourinho and Spurs to hold onto Aurier until they can find a suitable replacement for him.
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Verdict
Tottenham would put themselves in a difficult spot by offloading Aurier. It is evident that apart from Aurier, Spurs do not have an established right-back in the side. Hence, they should keep waiting until they can find better options and try to keep Aurier with them, at least for now.
