Tottenham Hotspur were considering a summer deal to sign an exciting young defender instead of Micky Van De Ven, according to a reliable journalist.

Tottenham's summer signings

Before September 1st, Ange Postecoglou recruited nine fresh faces in the form of Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, Alejo Veliz, Ashley Phillips, Manor Solomon and Van De Ven, and they have already been linked with several new targets.

Ahead of January, Daniel Levy has reportedly taken Norwich City goalkeeper Dylan Thompson on trial, whilst he is also plotting moves for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino and Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, though it’s the latter’s teammate who could have previously made the switch to N17.

Meanwhile, Piero Hincapie first emerged as a target for the Lilywhites back in January having held talks under the management of former boss Antonio Conte, but eventually, the hierarchy were priced out of a deal before the deadline at the start of the year.

Now, Ecuador’s centre-back is strongly on the radar of Premier League rivals Liverpool, who are exploring the conditions of a deal, but should the following update be believed, the 21-year-old was almost on his way to North London.

Piero Hincapie transfer update…

Taking to X, The Daily Mirror’s Ryan Taylor revealed in a Piero Hincapie transfer update that Spurs weighed up an approach for the star over the summer, but in the end, decided to pursue Van De Ven instead:

“Moises Caicedo’s agent Manu Sierra says he’s held dialogue with Liverpool over his second high-profile client — Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie. Spurs looked at signing the left-sided defender before landing Micky van de Ven.”

How good is Piero Hincapie?

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Hincapie is an “Ecuadorian Wall” for the solidity he provides at the heart of Bayer Leverkusen’s backline, which he showed in his high standard of performances last season, so it doesn’t make sense that Tottenham didn’t pursue him as well as Van de Ven.

Sponsored by Adidas (Transfermarkt – Hincapie profile), the left-footed ace averaged 2.5 clearances and two aerial wins per game during the previous term in the Bundesliga (WhoScored – Hincapie statistics), but he’s also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch.

Aerial Duels

Crossing

Passing

Discipline

Tackling

(Data from WhoScored)

Blocking shots

Since joining Xabi Alonso’s side, the £34k-per-week earner (Bayer Leverkusen salaries) has posted five goal contributions (three goals and two assists) in 81 appearances, which highlights his ability to pose a threat to an opposition’s defence from set pieces.

Furthermore, Hincapie has previously operated at left-back and slightly higher up in the midfield alongside his usual role at centre-back, so he could have been a versatile option for Postecoglou to have in the building, and we feel he'd be an excellent future signing to back-up and potentially succeed Cristian Romero, partnering Van de Ven in the long term.