Tottenham targeting cheeky raid on Prem rivals Everton for highly-touted young defender
Tottenham are reportedly considering a raid on Premier League rivals Everton for a highly-rated young Goodison Park defender this summer.
New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is looking to piece together a younger, more hungry squad this summer after the struggles last term that led to an eighth-placed Premier League finish and no European football.
Four signings have already been made, with Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro turning their loans into permanent moves, while James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario arriving from Leicester and Empoli respectively.
Former Fulham loanee Manor Solomon is also closing in on a free transfer switch, while reports suggest Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven could also sign in a £30million deal.
But now the Daily Mail claims that Postecoglou wants to add young Toffees defender Ishe Samuels-Smith to his ranks as well.
The 17-year-old joined Everton’s academy at the Under-9s level and has worked his way up through the age group ranks.
Indeed, the left-back played 15 times for the club in Premier League 2 and eight times in the Under-18 Premier League during the 2022-23 campaign.
Samuels-Smith is still to make his senior Everton debut, although he was on the bench for their Carabao Cup clash against Bournemouth back in November.
Trio of clubs chasing Everton starlet
The Mail adds that Samuels-Smith’s performance for Everton’s youth sides have impressed several Premier League clubs, with Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City said to have closely followed his development last season.
Postecoglou has much more of a reputation for giving younger players a chance than his predecessors Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
To that end, links to Samuels-Smith could well be genuine as Tottenham look to invest in their youth set-up.
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