According to the Mirror, Manchester United and Arsenal are taking a close look at Norwich City centre-back – Ben Godfrey, with Lyon and RB Leipzig, also scouting the 21-year-old.
Godfrey has been one of the cornerstones of Norwich’s surge to the top of the Championship standings with his commanding displays at the heart of the defence.
A product of York City’s youth system, he was signed by the Canaries back in January 2016. The youngster showed plenty of promise in his early days at Carrow Road but got loaned out to League One outfit Shrewsbury Town during the 2017-18 season.
He has established himself as a regular starter this year under Daniel Farke, with the injury to Timm Klose helping him get more minutes. The move to any big club, if it materialises, would be a massive rise up the pyramid for a player who was playing in the third-tier just a year ago.
Standing at 6ft. with a stocky frame, Godfrey is essentially a centre-back by trade but he has also been used as a central defensive midfielder or as a left-back occasionally. The youngster has impressed with his maturity and composure in the Championship this season, with statistics showing that he has been dribbled past only four times in 15 outings, completing 17 out of his attempted 21 tackles. (Whoscored.com)
Despite boasting commendable agility and sharpness, the 21-year-old prefers to stay back and keep the opposition at bay with his superior positional sense. Furthermore, he has shown that he is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and doesn’t hesitate to play out from the back, which should be an asset to any Premier League team.
To put things into perspective, he would be an ideal signing for both Arsenal and Manchester United. But Tottenham Hotspur should get themselves in the race as well.
Despite manager Mauricio Pochettino having to work under financial constraints, Spurs have excelled on all fronts this season. While they have given themselves an outside chance of challenging for the Premier League title, the team have done exceptionally well to qualify for the last-16 of the Champions League.
However, lack of quality and depth in their reserves has been one of the major factors that haven’t allowed them to become the next level team.
A promising youngster like Ben Godfrey can certainly help Tottenham’s cause. Granted, he is not yet the finished product, but he has certainly shown enough promise to be an understudy for the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez.
Pochettino is well-known for his ability to bring the best out of the young players and Godfrey can certainly enjoy the fruits of working with one of the best managers in the world.
That being said, Spurs can bag a massive coup if they can beat their Premier League rivals to sign the £10million-rated Norwich City ace in the upcoming summer.