Tottenham Looking to Bring 'Fantastic' Japanese Defender to North London

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has seemed to have acknowledged that defence was an area of concern for the club in 2023/24. The team conceded 61 goals in the league, one of their worst performances in the last decade. And now they might raid the Bundesliga to solve their defensive crisis.

Hiroki Ito on Tottenham Transferlist

According to journalist Christian Falk, VfB Stuttgart defender Hiroki Ito is a transfer target for Tottenham. The Japanese star has a release clause of €30 million which is definitely within Spurs' financial reach. If they decide to trigger it Stuttgart will have no choice other than selling.

Ito started his career with Japanese side Jubilo Iwata before moving to Stuttgart on loan in 2021. After a successful loan stint, the German club exercised the buy option to make the move permanent. He has established himself in the starting lineup regularly and made league 25 starts in 2023/24. In August 2023, he signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until June 2027.

Hiroki Ito is capable of playing as a left-back and in the heart of the defence. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches he offers a good aerial threat. This trait will be an appealing feature for Spurs who couldn't stop their opponents from exposing their set-piece weakness. The 25-year-old also has a passing accuracy of 89.2% in the league and would thus suit Postecoglou's brand of football if he signs for them. He was described as a fantastic defender capable of playing for one of Europe's top clubs by the Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeness.

Spurs had started the season brilliantly by embarking on a 10-match unbeaten run. Soon their campaign got derailed due to injuries to key players such as James Maddison and van de Ven. Eventually, they missed out on a Champions League spot to Aston Villa by two points. Hence they will focus on increasing their squad depth to avoid a similar situation next season.