Conte urged to rip up shock Tottenham raid and sign Real Madrid icon for Napoli instead

Napoli boss Antonio Conte has been told he needs to prioritise experience by signing Real Madrid great Sergio Ramos rather than Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin.

Former Tottenham manager Conte has used his connections in England to help Napoli sign stars who are well known to fans of Premier League clubs, such as Scott McTominay, Romelu Lukaku and Billy Gilmour. The manager is hoping Napoli chiefs will add to his defensive options in the January transfer window and this has led to speculation about a surprise move for Dragusin.

The centre-back only joined Tottenham in January, though the fact he is not a regular starter under Ange Postecoglou has supposedly given Napoli hope that they can capture him.

But Italian journalist Enrico Fedele is not convinced by such a move. He has explained why Napoli should steer clear of Dragusin and instead complete a statement deal for former Real Madrid star Ramos, who is a free agent.

“Would I think about Radu Dragusin, who plays little at Tottenham? Too young, I would go for someone experienced,” Fedele said (via Sport Witness).

“Who? It’s a former Real Madrid [player]: Sergio Ramos. Hasn’t played for months? He would come to bring his character traits; he would do like [Tarcisio] Burgnich of the past. In Napoli I don’t see charismatic players, like [Pepe] Reina and [Raul] Albiol could have been in the past, for example.”

Dragusin must settle for Tottenham bench

Dragusin convinced Tottenham to spend €30million (£25.1m / $32.8m) to sign him earlier this year after shining for Genoa in Serie A.

The fact Dragusin performed so well for Genoa is likely the main reason why Napoli have been linked with his services.

But, as Fedele points out, Conte’s side may opt against moving for him due to the fact the 22-year-old is not playing regularly and is lacking experience at the top level.

Dragusin made nine appearances for Spurs in the second half of last season, while he has featured four times so far this campaign.

The Romania star is versatile, as he can also operate at right-back, but he will struggle to force his way into Spurs’ starting lineup in his favoured position of centre-half.

Postecoglou can already rely on Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero in central defence, and the duo have formed a strong partnership.

Dragusin is fairly quick, but Van De Ven is one of the fastest players around and often uses his incredible speed to catch up with forwards and stop goalscoring opportunities.

Dragusin is an aggressive defender who loves to battle with strikers, but Romero does this better, which explains why the former usually has to sit on the bench.

Given Dragusin’s age though, he has plenty of time to develop into an even better defender. Should he decide at some stage in the future that he wants to go back to Italy, then Napoli may enter talks for his signature.

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Tottenham news: Real Madrid comments, brutal criticism

Meanwhile, Spurs right-back Pedro Porro has refused to rule out a future transfer to Madrid.

Los Blancos are reportedly keeping tabs on Porro as a potential successor to Dani Carvajal, should they be unable to sign Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

When asked about Madrid’s interest, the Spaniard replied: “Of course I’m proud with these links, it means I’m doing things well. If that happens one day, it happens. Now I’m fully focused on my club, Tottenham.”

Elsewhere, ESPN pundit Craig Burley has savaged Timo Werner as the Spurs forward continues to squander good chances.

“And again, I don’t want to sort of pick on him, but I am going to. I mean, Timo Werner. Timo Werner whatever he did in Germany, he has been unable to do in two spells in England,” Burley said.

“His end product was once again atrocious, and that adds to the pressure that goes on a team defensively when you are just not finishing teams off. It wasn’t just Timo Werner, but if he starts the next game after the international break, I will be very surprised.

“A young 17-year-old in [Mikey] Moore is probably going to come in his place. Brennan Johnson has come through a tough time when people were talking about his end product. He gets six goals in six.”