Tottenham join transfer race for Stoke City defender Harry Souttar

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Tottenham are among the few Premier League clubs interested in signing Stoke City defender Harry Souttar.

Harry Souttar, 23, arrived at stoke City as a youngster from Scottish outfit Dundee United in 2016 and only managed to become a regular at the club from last season, where he made 40 appearances across all competitions. The Aberdeen-born centre-half has been an ever-present in the Stoke City backline this season, even leading the team on many occasions, demonstrating his rise in stature at the club.

The Australian international, who has started 13 of the Potters’ 14 Championship fixtures in the 2021-22 campaign, is also been tracked by Aston Villa and Everton. Stoke are braced for bids in January but would be reluctant to lose their star man in midst of the season.

Tottenham have scouted Souttar on many occasions with manager Nuno Espirito Santo a big fan of the player having previously sanctioned a move for the 6ft 6ins defender during his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Tottenham’s frailties at the back

One of Tottenham’s major issues this season has been their defence, which has leaked goals and failed to keep clean sheets. None of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez or new signing Cristian Romero have delivered strong performances at the back, thereby, making it very easy for the opposition to cut through the Spurs backline and score 13 times past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in just nine games to date.

The north London club suffered their fourth loss of the season at West Ham over the weekend, which has piled more pressure on new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Spurs cannot enter the second half of the campaign with the same set of central defenders if they are aspiring for a top-six finish this term.

Should Spurs bid for Harry Souttar in January?

Cristian Romero will take time to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football, but the Argentinean would do a lot better with a reliable partner alongside him in central defence. To that end, Stoke City’s Harry Souttar would be a good fit at Tottenham. Crystal Palace were also interested in Harry Souttar in the summer transfer window, but Stoke City defender has decided to stay.

A calm and composed customer, Souttar has impressed in the Championship over the last couple of seasons with his passing ability, tenacity and leadership skills. In fact, he is right up there with the best defenders in the second tier of English football and his huge potential means the Aberdeen-born star could well prove to be an incredible long-term investment for Spurs, who have been very sloppy at the back under Nuno.

In Souttar, Spurs would have a young star that has already played eight times for the Australian national team, scoring an eye-catching six goals in the process. Due to his towering frame, he is an asset to have at both ends of the pitch and give Spurs a different threat from set-pieces.

Souttar is a promising centre-back and if Spurs manage to secure his services, they would not just have a defender but also a leader on the pitch.