Tottenham join race with Premier League clubs for signature of Stoke star

Tottenham are the latest club to be interested in signing Stoke defender Harry Souttar, per a report.

According to Football Insider, Spurs join fellow Premier League rivals Everton and Aston Villa, who have also been rumoured to be keeping tabs on the centre-back.

 

Signing for the Championship side in 2016, Souttar had loan spells at Ross County and Fleetwood before establishing himself in Michael O’Neill’s starting 11 at the start of last season.

The 22-year-old was then a mainstay in the squad last campaign, featuring 38 times for the Potters.

Due to impressive performances, he penned a new “long-term” contract with the Championship club in February.

Stoke have started the 2021/22 season very strongly, collecting 21 points in 11 games, and currently sit 4th in the league. With Souttar at the heart of their defence, they’ve kept four clean sheets as well.

 

The colossus, who stands at 6ft 5in tall, is also a huge threat from set-pieces. He’s notched a staggering six goals in nine games in Australia’s World Cup qualification games albeit against weaker opposition.

“Harry has had a very strong start to the season,” O’Neill told StokeonTrentLive. “He’s obviously playing senior international football and appears to have established himself in the Australia national team. That will obviously generate interest.”

Spurs are no strangers to signing defenders from the Championship. They completed a £11million deal for former Swansea player Joe Roden back in October 2020.

Stoke will find themselves in a very strong position when the January transfer window rolls around.

 

The Analyst: Man United, Tottenham and Everton capable of comeback wins this weekend

Stoke target Keinan Davis given green light to make January move

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to let Keinan Davis go out on loan in the January transfer window amid interest from Stoke and Nottingham Forest.

The striker looked primed for a temporary move in the summer after failing to make his mark at Villa Park. The 23-year-old made just three starts in all competitions for Villa last season.

That had led Dean Smith to give Davis the green light to get game time elsewhere and a number of Championship clubs were pursuing him in July.

Forest and Stoke were two of the clubs looking at Davis. He came off the bench in Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Stoke in pre-season and a deal looked likely.