Tottenham 'walked away' from chance to land £42m transfer as defensive struggles continue

Tottenham Hotspur are said to have ‘walked away’ from the opportunity to sign Napoli centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno in the summer transfer window - a decision they may be regretting as the side’s current defence has so far kept just one clean sheet in six matches across all competitions this campaign.

Serie A star Buongiorno was one of the top players at Torino last season, featuring 31 times across all competitions for his club. His performances quickly caught the attention of clubs from across Italy and abroad, notably Spurs. However, it was Napoli who would be eventually successful in signing the 25-year-old in July and he has so far made three league appearances  for the Gli Azzurri, scoring one goal

According to Calciomercato, Spurs, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter were all interested in the Italy international, with the latter club said to have submitted a concrete offer, only for the defender to be unwilling to leave Torino for Milan..

Similarly, both San Siro clubs made contact with the Rossoneri believing their current centre-back Stefan De Vrij could leave for Saudi Arabia. However, the Dutchman remained put and while Spurs were said to have ‘made a lot of progress’ to sign the defender, they instead opted to focus on other targets.

In the summer window, Ange Postecoglou’s side welcomed Min-hyeok Yang, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Archie Gray and the £55m signing of Dominic Solanke - all of whom are midfield and attacking options.

No new defensive options were brought  to N17, which may well have come as a surprise to many Spurs fans given their club had conceded over 60 goals in the Premier League last campaign.

Postecoglou's side ultimately prevailed against Brentfordon Saturday, but their defensive frailties were once again highlighted within just a minute of the first whistle, as tBees striker Bryan Mbeumo was able to break through the Spurs back-line to put his side ahead.

Mbeumo’s impressively early goal marked the fifth goal in six Premier League matches the Lilywhites had conceded and, with just one clean sheet across the board from the current campaign, Spurs fans may fear they are set to see last season’s struggles at the back continue throughout 2024/25.

The club are next in action on Thursday 26 September, when they host Qarabag FK in the UEFA Europa League group stage.