Clement Lenglet is the latest addition to Antonio Conte’s burgeoning squad – and the 27-year-old will bring a touch of Gallic flair to Tottenham’s backline.
The France centre-back’s career has stalled after an initially promising move to Barcelona from Sevilla and this loan move offers an opportunity for him to get his career back on track.
After coming through the ranks at Nancy, Lenglet was snapped up by Sevilla as a promising 21-year-old and he immediately established himself as a fine La Liga defender.
After impressing in Spain, Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde splashed £36.5m to take him to the Nou Camp and slapped a £265m release clause on him, with the club branding him “one of the most promising defenders on the planet”.
They treated him like that too, at least initially, Lenglet becoming a fixture alongside Gerard Pique as Barcelona won La Liga in his first full season. However, he has since slipped out of favour and only made 27 appearances last season, losing his place in the France team.
An elegant left-footed centre-half at his best, he is mobile and eager to play progressive passes. His record shows he is effective in teams that dominate the ball, as he has experienced playing for Barcelona and France.
However, he is less imposing than new Spurs colleagues Eric Dier and Cristian Romero and, according to fbref.com, external, only won 61% of his tackles last season.
It may be that Conte plans to use him as the man to carry the ball out of defence and start Spurs’ attacks. It remains to be seen how he will fare in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
(BBC Sport)
