The ‘next Rio Ferdinand’ could be on his way to Spurs

If Gareth Southgate has proved anything to the footballing world, it is the saying “attack wins you matches, defence wins you titles”. 

England are yet to concede a goal in open play in the whole tournament and much of this is down to the solid midfield partnership of Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice, protecting a defence of Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, John Stones and Luke Shaw.

While the modern day full back is most often found in the opposition penalty area, Southgate has opted for a more dexterous and pragmatic approach which seeks to limit and control the opposition, rather than play them off the park.

Spurs’ new manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the same, as he established Wolves as a strong Premier League team and took them to the quarter final of the Europa League with a watertight three man defence.

With the North Londoners very leaky at the back last term, it is highly likely the Portuguese boss will adopt a similar approach.

According to The Boot Room, fixing Spurs’ backline is appearing to be a priority, as it’s claimed that Santo is looking to sign Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix.

Lacroix also finished the season with a 87% successful pass percentage.

The young 21-year-old defender has been likened to Manchester United legendary defender Rio Ferdinand, due to his ability to combine excellent defending with calmness and quality on the ball.

Wolfsburg, who conceded the second least goals in the Bundesliga last season, managed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2015/16 season, with Lacroix’s performances a key factor.