As Antonio Conte looks to rebuild this Tottenham squad in his own image in the coming months, the Italian will no doubt be keeping a close eye on some of the club’s brightest young academy prospects.
Marcel Lavinier is surely someone who will be at the forefront of his mind given the position he plays for the club’s U21s: right-back.
Conte has been desperately searching for a solution to his right wing-back woes from the moment that he came in, with Emerson initially handed the reins before Matt Doherty came back in from the cold to nail down the spot in recent weeks.
With Emerson hardly proving value for money and even being linked with an exit from the club, the Spurs boss will be keen for reinforcements in that position.
Indeed, according to The Times, Conte was keen to sign a new right wing-back in the January transfer window as he felt the Brazilian did not fit the profile he needs in the final third.
In Lavinier though, Spurs could finally an in-house answer to their problems.
The 21-year-old was part of Spurs’ 25-man squad for the UEFA Europa Conference League and has the kind of sheer pace and directness that marks him out compared to the likes of Emerson and Doherty.
The Daily Mail noted: “Lavinier loves to get forward and is very direct – often looking up and aiming to ping balls into the area, but he’s an equally competent defender.
“His confidence is boosted by how comfortable he is on the ball – he’s a decent finisher for a defender and has considerable technique, making him a great option as an attacking full-back.”
Lavinier left Premier League rivals Chelsea for north London a couple of years ago despite impressing for their academy sides, having contributed three goals and eight assists across the U18 and U21 squads.
Indeed, a player profile piece done by Octagon Soccer on the 6 foot 1 starlet noted that Lavinier “is a versatile and dynamic defender who is comfortable playing on the right or the centre of defence”, and it’s his ability to play as a full-back that should surely have Conte sit up and take notice.
This season has seen the versatile youngster make 17 appearances at Premier League 2 level for Spurs, notching four assists, including having stints playing at right-back, left-back and in holding midfield too – one of those assists coming in the Lilywhites’ last fixture against Leicester just a couple of weeks ago.
Lavinier’s breakthrough into the first-team would allow the Spurs manager to finally axe the “horrendous” Emerson and bring through an exciting Hotspur Way gem.
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