The main talk surrounding Spurs recently has been the ongoing contract situation regarding Toby Alderweireld. If reports are to be believed he looks to be heading for the exit, as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy seems unlikely to agree to meet the Belgian centre-back’s latest wage demands. This has put Europe’s top clubs on high alert, but the situation has also kicked off the discussion about who should be signed as Alderweireld’s replacement if he does depart in the summer.
There have been plenty of names thrown into the hat by Spurs fans, journalists and pundits alike with Ben Mee of Burnley the most recent player to be linked with a switch to North London. Mee, 28, has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers this season, and the Sale born centre-half is set to enter the final year of his contract next season. The interesting aspect here is that he is rumoured to be apparently stalling on a new deal at Turf Moor, so there is the possibility that he could be available for a cut price fee.
However, while Mee has been in inspired form for Sean Dyche’s side this season, there’s another English centre-half who has really impressed in the Premier League and that’s Alfie Mawson. Since arriving at Swansea from Barnsley in 2016, Mawson has rapidly improved as a player and has now become a key man for the Swans. Even though times have been hard for Swansea over the last couple of seasons, Mawson has managed to impress and that has led to him receiving a call up to the England squad.
Mawson, 24, would certainly demand a bigger fee than some of the other targets Spurs are likely to have in mind but his age, nationality and the fact that he is only going to continue to improve should give him the edge. Mawson is also a Londoner and again that may see the move back home appeal to a player who looks rejuvenated under Swansea head coach, Carlos Carvalhal. Fans can follow and keep track of all the latest developments by visiting Betting.com’s Football Betting page; and see who is going to eventually end up at the North London club.
Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carvalhal was quick to steady the Swansea ship by moving them to a formation that included three centre-backs and this move looks to have given Mawson a new lease of life. It’s also allowed the former Brentford trainee to show that there’s a lot more to his game than just defending. Playing as the left sided centre-back, Mawson has shown that he’s extremely comfortable in possession, often driving forward from defence before putting his superb passing range to work.
If Spurs were to bring Mawson in as Alderweireld’s replacement they would be signing a player who’s capable of playing in formations that use two or three centre backs. He’s also a leader on the pitch and at 24-years old, he’s got many seasons in front of him. While there are some great options out there, which include the likes of Ben Mee, Mawson looks to be the player destined for bigger things over the next few years.
Mee will not even be considered.
Mawson not good enough for spurs and i would bet iv seen more of him than you
As Wycombe Wanderers are my local team I have probably seen more than most Of Alfie Mawson when he was on loan for a year. He was outstanding then and is still young enough to be developed by Poch. Trouble will be why spend £25-£30m when you have Foyth in the wings and maybe even CVC. Toby is better than all of them but we have to be realistic, if he wanted to stay he would not have asked for £160K a week. Better to sell him abroad and get a decent fee to invest in new players and reward the loyal ones.