Why Tottenham should go all out for Milan Skriniar this summer

According to Sky Italia (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham Hotspur have made an enquiry regarding the availability of Inter Milan centre-back Milan Skriniar, with Jose Mourinho keen to bolster his defence before next month’s deadline.

The Serie A giants have, however, quoted a mammoth asking price of £55million to part ways with the Slovakian international, who is currently out of favour under Antonio Conte. (Sky Italia h/t Daily Mail)

Profile

Milan Skriniar rose through the youth ranks of MSK Zilina in his homeland and went on to make 93 first-team appearances for the Slovakian giants in all competitions, scoring 13 goals in the process. 

The towering central defender earned a move to Serie A outfit Sampdoria in January 2016 and made 38 appearances before joining heavyweights Inter Milan in the summer of 2017. Skriniar has since established himself as one of the best young centre-backs across the continent, featuring 128 times for the Nerazzurri across all competitions.

Skriniar represented Slovakia across various age-group levels between U-17 and U-21 before making his senior international debut in 2016. He has since accumulated 33 caps for his nation.

Skriniar an expensive option but Tottenham need him desperately

Tottenham made some effective additions to their squad early in the summer window, with the likes of Matt Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Joe Hart joining the ranks. 

That was before the Lilywhites took the footballing world by surprise with a loan deal to re-sign their prodigal son Gareth Bale. The Welshman has also been joined by his former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Reguilon in North London.

To sum it up, Tottenham have enjoyed a fruitful transfer window so far, with Jose Mourinho successfully plugging several gaping holes in his squad. With that in mind, however, the manager is yet to address one pressing concern at the back, which is to replace Jan Vertonghen.

Eric Dier has partnered Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the defence this season, with Davinson Sanchez on the bench. However, it goes without saying that the Lilywhites need more depth and quality in central defence, considering the long and hectic schedule of the Premier League coupled with the challenge of playing in the Europa League.

Juan Foyth remains a handy squad option but the Argentine international has been linked with an exit from North London after struggling for game time over the past two seasons. Sanchez, too, hasn’t been all that consistent, failing to inspire much confidence as a regular starter week in, week out.

Milan Skriniar, to that end, would be an instant solution to Tottenham’s centre-back conundrum. The Slovakian is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world and certainly has the quality to slot straight into the club’s starting XI. 

The touted £55m fee makes him a really expensive option for the Lilywhites in the post-pandemic market, but Tottenham must understand that they need to spend big in the market if they are to compete with the other top clubs in English football. Skriniar still has his best years ahead of him, meaning that he’s definitely worth a massive outlay in the market.

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Verdict

All in all, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Tottenham splashing the cash on Milan Skriniar would present an excellent piece of business, not only for the present but also for several years moving forward.