Japhet Tanganga's Tottenham future will become a lot clearer over the coming weeks amid talk of a switch to Italy. Not exactly something new as he has been linked with a move to Serie A in previous transfer windows, AC Milan have been heavily tipped to sign the 23-year-old ahead of the summer deadline.
Adding five new players to Antonio Conte's squad this summer prior to Djed Spence's imminent arrival from Middlesbrough, now it's about outgoings from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Steven Bergwijn has been the biggest exit so far after finally sealing a move to Ajax, with Fabio Paratici and the club now needing to part with a handful of other players.
Tottenham have already strengthened in defence following Clement Lenglet's arrival from Barcelona and that could in turn pave the way for one or both of Tanganga and Joe Rodon to leave either on loan or permanently. As game time is going to be very hard to come by for the pair, summer exits may well come to fruition.
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Involved for Tottenham last week in their two pre-season games out in South Korea, Tanganga was asked by football.london about his future when speaking at a Tottenham Hotspur Global football development session with young adults from ChildFund Korea
"It's just speculation and I don't read too much into speculation. My focus is I'm just happy to be back, being injury free and helping the team as much as I can and be ready when I'm called upon," he said on the rumours.
"It's about being ready. There was a period when Cristian Romero was injured and the manager called upon me to play in that position. I'm just grateful to play as many games as possible and I'm just happy to play whenever the manager wants me to."
Once again injury disrupted the player's season, with Tanganga undergoing knee surgery in March almost two months on from his final appearance of the term against Chelsea. His campaign had started brightly, though, as he was a regular in the team at right-back, before later starting nine out of Conte's first 16 games as boss before injury struck.
Following his injury woes that have stopped him getting a consistent run of games in the past three seasons, a loan move may be the best option this year for the player's development. After all, Oliver Skipp's Norwich City loan switch proved to be a masterstroke and it resulted in a breakthrough campaign in 2021/22.
A potential loan to Serie A champions AC Milan is a mouthwatering proposal for both the player and Tottenham. Not only having the opportunity to play week in, week out at the top of Serie A and also come up against Europe's best in the Champions League, the chance to play in Italy will help him hone his game defensively.
Fikayo Tomori made the move to the San Siro in January 2021 after joining on a loan deal from Chelsea, with AC having the option to buy the England international that summer for £25million. A move that raised eyebrows at the time as many believed Tomori should have been in the Chelsea XI, the 24-year-old excelled in Italy and made 22 appearances in all competitions.
It came as no surprise to see the Italian giants make his move permanent, in the end for a bargain price with the player's valuation since skyrocketing after taking his game to new heights in Italy. Certainly a player who would've slotted straight into Thomas Tuchel's backline, his permanent exit and the option to buy clause had angered Chelsea fans as he quite clearly had all the attributes to be a huge success at Stamford Bridge for years to come.
The loss of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who were both entering the final years of their deals when Tomori departed, on free transfers this summer has only highlighted the transfer mistake even more. The move has been a huge success for the ex-Derby County loanee, however, with the player opening up on the big improvements he has made under boss Stefano Pioli.
"Reading the game. Everyone knows that defense is very important in Italy. Mister Pioli immediately told me what to do and where he wanted me on the pitch," he told AC Milan's official website (via OneFootball). "I feel I have improved a lot as a player, and that has encouraged me even more to come back here and improve. Now I'm here, I'm officially a Milan player, I want to give continuity to what has been shown and demonstrate even more.
"I believe these are my qualities, since I have been here I have learned a lot, I have learned not to rely only on my speed but also to improve my positioning. I thank the club for believing in me, for giving me the opportunity to play and improve. I want to improve further, the way the team plays is good for everyone."
The example of Tomori taking his game to a whole new level at the San Siro is one Tottenham should look at, although not when it comes to the option to buy clause. A loan move really could work wonders for Tanganga's game and there is perhaps no better place for him to head than Serie A.
A successful loan deal with AC could put him in contention for a regular spot in Conte's Spurs side 12 months down the line or it could help increase his market value if they want to part with him. Tottenham have already found out the hard way about loan deals containing an option to buy, with Juan Foyth joining Villarreal on the cheap for £13m last summer when his transfer valuation was so much more after wowing for the Yellow Submarines.
A huge season for the player after such a stop-start time through injury, Tottenham face a crucial decision in the coming weeks regarding Tanganga. A temporary switch to Italy really could be the making of him.
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