Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly showing an interest in Borussia Monchengladbach defender, Ko Itakura, with Ange Postecoglou's admiration for the Japanese international dating back to his time at former club, Celtic.
What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?
According to Sky Sports Germany, the Lilywhites are said to be rivalling Napoli for the signing of the 26-year-old, with the former Schalke loanee seemingly "open to a change" this summer, as per reporter Florian Plettenberg.
While there is also Saudi interest in the one-time Manchester City asset from Al Nassr, Postecoglou may be hoping that his previous desire to sign the versatile centre-back – who can also feature in midfield – could count in his favour.
Reports back in 2021 suggested that the 57-year-old was keen to sign the 6 foot 2 ace during his first summer in charge at Parkhead, with that followed by further speculation last summer which also claimed that the Greek-Aussie was eyeing a move, in order to bolster his backline in Glasgow.
Who is Ko Itakura?
The 20-cap menace has no doubt warranted such interest from Postecoglou over the years, having previously been hailed as "one of the very best central defenders in the Eredivisie" by pundit Hans Kraay during his prior stint on loan at Dutch outfit, FC Groningen.
Also described as "incredibly fast" by Kraay, the Yokohama-born ace was surprisingly unable to get a look during his time on the books at the Etihad after failing to make a first-team appearance during his three-year stint at the club, albeit with a move to north London potentially set to allow him the chance to finally enjoy a taste of English football.
Whether Tottenham should pursue a move, however, remains to be seen, with there likely to be some intrigue at the fact that Itakura is said to share a number of statistical and stylistic similarities with Clement Lenglet, as per Opta's Player Radars.
That likeness between the pair is notably showcased by their desire to play out from the back, with Lenglet ranking in the 14% among his European peers for touches made, while Itakura ranks in the top 5% in that regard.
The duo are also alike due to their ability in the air, with the £31k-per-week Gladbach menace ranking in the 36% for aerial duels won, while Lenglet ranks in the top 38% in that regard, utilising his 6 foot 1 frame.
Although the belief is that the Lilywhites are hoping to bring the Frenchman back to the Premier League on a permanent deal following his loan spell last season, the 28-year-old hardly set the world alight in the 2022/23 campaign, having been branded an "imposter" by pundit Jamie O'Hara amid his errant form.
Remarkably, not only was Lenglet part of a defence that conceded 63 league goals last term, but the Barcelona man also recorded just a solitary clean sheet from his 26 league outings at centre-back, with his 6.65 average match rating, as per Sofascore, ranking him just 20th among his teammates at N17.
To think then that Postecoglou could land a possible carbon copy of the former Sevilla man with the signing of Itakura could be of concern to the Spurs faithful, with supporters likely to want to see an improvement on last season's shaky defence.
While the Japanese defender is his own man and is clearly a player that the one-time Australia head coach has watched closely in recent years, that similarity to Lenglet will not exactly be sparking much excitement in north London, if a deal is to go ahead.
