Tottenham have watched Germany Under 21 international goalkeeper Noah Atubolu as they assess potential targets for the summer.
A new goalkeeper will be paramount to Tottenham’s plans with current No 1 Guglielmo Vicario looking at a return to Italy with Inter Milan in pole position.
Of course, who they can attract will depend on which division Tottenham are in. Sunday’s crunch clash with Nottingham Forest will go some way to determining that. And Atubolu, the 6ft 4ins Freiburg stopper, has sights on a move to England.
The 23-year-old has been compared in style to Bayern Munich‘s Manuel Neuer and while he has a long way to go to replicate his role model, Tottenham’s defence certainly needs a similarly commanding force behind them.
Vicario has failed to convince this season while deputy Antonin Kinsky suffered the ignominy of being substituted after 17 minutes in the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Germany Under 21 international goalkeeper Noah Atubolu is being watched by Tottenham
That has left the Czech Republic U21 international contemplating a move away on loan.
Atubolu has recently signed up to the Epic agency with agents Marcello Brillmann and Ali Barat, who has exerted such great influence at Chelsea of late as well as bringing Xavi Simons to Spurs last summer.
The keeper has notched up 33 clean sheets in 111 appearances and earned a reputation as an expert penalty saver. He has also attracted attention from West Ham and both Milan clubs in recent months. He is under contract until 2027 but has no plans to extend.
Spurs would be well placed to proceed if they preserve their Premier League status.
Atubolu is not the only keeper on their radar though.
Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson is another name under consideration at Tottenham
Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson and Manchester City’s James Trafford are other names under consideration though both would cost significantly more than Atubolu.
Henderson, with his leadership and experience, has proved a consistent Premier League performer while Trafford is expected to mature into England’s next regular number one.
He would first need to establish himself as a first-team regular but City would still look to command around £35million should they agree to sell.
More will become clearer if Spurs can build on their two performances from this week and use the momentum to stay up.