"I fully expect" – Journalist claims player who 'ticks a lot of boxes' will snub Newcastle in favor of Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are reportedly set to engage in a transfer battle this summer for Lille defender Sven Botman. The 22-year-old has impressed in his time at the French club and could seek greener pastures next season.

Both Spurs and the Magpies have had defensive frailties this season and will need to address that in the transfer market. The Dutch international has come out as one of the prime targets for both clubs.

John Welham, a Spurs insider and owner of social media channel Lilywhite Rose, feels Botman will choose Spurs over Newcastle. Speaking to Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild, he said:

"He’s a left-footed centre-back so that ticks a lot of the boxes for Tottenham. He’s also a good age but he comes with that Ligue 1 risk. You get players from France who sometimes don’t live up to expectations.Tottenham have had many disastrous signings from that league. I have to hope our scouts have done their due diligence on him."

Welham added:

"He’s Dutch so I imagine his English is pretty good. I remember seeing Newcastle were in for him during January. I fully expect, given the choice, he will pick Tottenham over Newcastle.

"He might want to live in London, he might want to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Newcastle could probably offer more money to him but my opinion is that a player like that would choose Tottenham.”

The Dutchman won Ligue 1 with Lille last season and has looked solid in his 25 appearances so far this season.

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Tottenham Hotspur set to spend heavily in the summer

If there is a team that needs a major rebuild, it is Spurs. The club reached the final of the Champions League in 2019 and have only gone down since then.

They have seen five managers, including interim manager Ryan Mason, since then and are still struggling. While Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have been their best performers, their midfield and defense continues to disappoint.

The likes of Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Harry Winks, Emerson Royal and more aren't deemed good enough by fans and pundits alike.

Manager Antonio Conte has repeatedly expressed the need to buy better players since his arrival at the club in November. They are now set to have yet another trophyless season, with the last trophy they won being a League Cup in 2008.

Hence, to keep Conte and Kane at the club and fight for silverware, chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly ready to shell out some cash in the summer. They can thus be expected to push hard for Botman, who is valued at around £33 million.

They are currently seventh in the Premier League, five points off fourth-placed Manchester United with two games in hand. They face Everton next in an attempt to keep their top four aspirations on track.