Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to initiate talks with Serie A side Atalanta over the deal to sign summer transfer target Ruslan Malinovskyi this January.
Spurs manager Antonio Conte has requested the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy to raid Atalanta for midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi. That’s according to TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Marco Conterio, who suggests that the Lilywhites are likely to go back in for the Ukrainian attacking midfielder when the transfer window reopens in January after a failed summer pursuit.
Malinovskyi was on Tottenham’s radar throughout the summer, along with a number of other creative targets, including Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison. While six new faces arrived at the club, the Lilywhites weren’t able to complete all the business, and the Ukrainian ended up staying put at Bergamo.
Having failed to bring in a chief creator, the lack of creativity has reflected in Tottenham’s performances this season, particularly in the absence of swashbuckling talents such as Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, with Conte moving to a 3-5-2 to pack the midfield to protect an even more vulnerable backline.
Son Heung-min’s injury against Marseille reduced the front four to Harry Kane, and there was a distinct lack of creativity while penetrating the deeper blocks.
Conte has been insistent about encouraging Kane to abandon playmaking and get on the end of goal-scoring opportunities in the 18-yard box, which has so far borne fruit. The England captain has netted 12 goals so far this season, with only Erling Haaland having scored more in the Premier League.
However, the service to the English striker has often been found lacking. Thus, Tottenham are looking to fix the issue by signing a versatile No. 10, with head coach Antonio Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici both considering Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi a great fit at the north London club. Spurs will soon initiate talks with the Serie A outfit over his potential arrival in early 2023.
Malinovskyi would be a very smart signing for Spurs. And while, at 29 years old, he’s far from a player for the future, he remains a classic Conte signing: seasoned, reliable, versatile, and technically brilliant. Malinovskyi has bagged 30 goals and 28 assists in 142 games for the Bergamo-based outfit, averaging a goal contribution roughly every 2.4 games.
The 29-year-old boasts exceptional technical ability and is really efficient when in possession, meaning he can help the Lilywhites control games in the middle of the park while also providing creativity in central areas.
He also offers plenty of energy, possesses the turn of speed to beat a man, and has a foot like a traction engine, more often than not producing absolute rockets from the edge of the box.
His current Atalanta contract is due to run until the end of the season. Hence, Tottenham should have a good chance of signing him on a cut-price deal in January, albeit La Dea boss Gian Piero Gasperini still rates him very highly and considers him a “non-transferable” commodity.
