Why Milan Badelj Would Be An Excellent Cover For Tottenham’s Defence
Tottenham Hotspur have made tremendous strides under the management of Mauricio Pochettino over the last couple of seasons and look like they are well capable of challenging for top European and Domestic honours.
Keeping their ambitions in mind, Spurs could really use another good defensive midfielder in addition to Victor Wanyama. Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj is one such option that Spurs should be looking to bring in. The defensive midfielder has shown no signs of extending his contract with the Italian side and could be open to a switch to the Premier League with Tottenham as his likely destination.
There are already rumours spreading around in the English media, linking the 28-year-old with Tottenham. Badelj is currently in the final year of his contract with the club and there is plenty of interest from some big clubs in Europe but it should be Spurs who should keep tabs on him.
The Croatian has previously played for Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga and Dinamo Zagreb, and is now a regular starter for Fiorentina in the Serie A. The 28-year-old is experienced and has made 25 appearances for the Croatian national team.
Badelj is an excellent rearguard and is a quintessential defensive midfielder that every team wants. It’s almost impossible to dispossess the ball off the 28-year-old as he keeps hold of the ball with grit and poise. He is also an excellent dribbler and can accelerate faster than most midfielders.
The Croatian is not afraid of taking risks and loves running past the midfield to open up spaces for his teammates. Badelj is also a good reader of the game and will pounce on the tiniest mistakes the opposition usually make. He might not find the net as much as one would like him to, but Tottenham have enough attacking quality in their ranks to do the job for the team.
Its high time Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier had some competition at Tottenham and the addition of Badelj will only contribute well to Pochettino’s squad. As much as a great job he has done with the Spurs attack, Mauricio Pochettino must also strengthen his defence, with games coming in by the numbers.
With the free-flowing attacking play that Spurs love to impose on their opposition, Milan Badelj would be an excellent cover for their defence. Besides, there aren’t many established defensive midfielders in the market who could fit right into Pochettino’s team like Badelj.