Tottenham: £28.8m rising stars ‘should definitely be’ on Conte’s wish list

Tottenham Hotspur ‘should definitely’ have Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi on their transfer wish list, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Spurs are believed to be in the market for a new centre-back when the summer window opens and have been linked to several intriguing options in recent months.

Since Conte’s arrival back in November, Tottenham have almost exclusively lined up with three central defenders on the pitch, either in a 3-4-3 or a 5-3-2 formation.

However, full-back Ben Davies has been forced to fill in in an unfamiliar centre-back role due to there being no natural left-footed options within Conte’s current first-team squad.

That has led to several reports suggesting the capital club are scouring the market for a player more accomplished in that role, and the impressive form of Salisu and Guehi could mean that they’re viable targets.

Salisu is enjoying a stellar season for the Saints after a tricky maiden campaign on English shores and is putting in some outstanding underlying numbers.

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As per FBref, the 22-year-old has ranked in the 97th percentile for tackles, 91st for blocks, 90th for aerials won, 89th for clearances and 86th for interceptions compared to players in his position over the last year.

Meanwhile, Guehi – who is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt – has averaged 3.5 clearances and 0.7 blocks per league game this season, placing him in the top two amongst his Palace teammates for both metrics.

Salisu – who is valued at £9m – is perhaps the more likely to make the switch to Spurs, given he is left-footed, unlike Guehi, and has two fewer years left on his contract.

But O’Rourke believes