Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Leeds United winger Daniel James over a late move this summer.
According to a report from Daily Mail, Antonio Conte is keen on bringing former Manchester United attacker Daniel James to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a potential replacement for Bryan Gil, who has been linked with a return to Spain.
Gil arrived with great expectations last summer, but the youngster has failed to hold down a regular starting berth at Tottenham. The Spaniard was then loaned out to Valencia during the second half of last season. Gil is expected to return to Spain this summer and James has been earmarked as a potential replacement. The youngster is reportedly heading back to Valencia for this season as well.
The 24-year-old Welshman joined Leeds United for a fee of around £25 million last summer, and he had a reasonably impressive debut season with the Whites. James managed to score four goals across 35 appearances in all competitions, and it will be interesting to see if the Whites are prepared to let him leave this summer.
Conte is not keen on weakening his squad any further, and he has stated publicly that Tottenham will have to bring him an alternative if they decide to let any player leave before the summer transfer window closes.
James could be a useful squad option for the north Londoners, but the versatile Leeds United attacker might struggle to hold down a regular starting berth, with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
A player of James’s quality will want to play on a weekly basis, and a move to Tottenham might not be ideal for the Leeds United man at this stage of his career. Furthermore, the Welsh winger was heavily criticised for his lack of end product during his time at Manchester United, and he might not be an ideal fit for a club hoping to challenge for major honours.
That said, the 24-year-old is highly-rated in English football, and he has the potential to develop into a quality player with the right coaching. If Conte can help him increase his end product, James could end up being a shrewd acquisition for Tottenham in the long run.
