As Tottenham Hotspur qualify for the Champions League for the next campaign, a lot of transfer options have opened up for Daniel Levy, and he will likely have a slim set of players to choose from as he is tasked with making sure that the cracks that appeared in the current roster in the last season are cemented. Among those cracks is the depth in that left full-back role, given how Ange Postecoglou had to make makeshift changes with Destiny Udogie suffering from injury problems throughout the season.
But now the North Londoners have an opportunity to ensure depth in the position, which not only aids more qualitative performances given the competition but also ensures that there is no quality lost along the campaign. And this is where the links to sign Brighton fullback Pervis Estupinan make sense.
Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min vies with Brighton's Ecuadrorian defender Pervis Estupinan.
Tottenham interested in signing Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
The 27-year-old Ecuador international has established himself as one of the better fullbacks in the Premier League since moving to the Seagulls three seasons back. And while injury problems have caused him to derail his progress, he has a century of appearances for Brighton, where he has notched five goals and 14 assists, showing a talent going forward.
With Ben Davies set to leave this summer, complemented by the injury problems of Destiny Udogie, the links to Estupiñán do make sense.
We have seen how fullbacks are really integral to how Tottenham play under Ange Postecoglou, especially given how the Australian head coach uses them in build-up as well as final third sequences. The wide defenders are tasked with a lot of things under the former Celtic manager, given they have to invert, hold width, underlap, as well as create overloads based on game situations, and this is where bringing in the Ecuadorian redefines the role at N17.
How will Estupinan fit in at Tottenham under Postecoglou?
Generally when the Lilywhites have attacked under the Australian, the side morphs into more of a 2-3-5 formation where one full-back inverts to sit in the middle of the park while the other pushes up, and Estupinan fits this framework seamlessly given how he can feature as a third midfielder when he is inverting from the left-back.
The 27-year-old is also quite capable of bringing in the width, which could come in handy when the North Londoners are trying to overload the opponents.
When in rest defence, Pervis can drop next to the central defenders and hold the defensive line.
If we look at how Spurs have played in the previous campaign, the North Londoners have lacked a sense of synergy on the left-hand side given how Maddison is laying in the wide zones, letting Udogie in the creative zones instead, and this is where Tottenham end up relying on the latter rather than the former in the creative aspects. Bringing in Pervis means that you put in more third-man combinations into the side. You let Maddison drift inwards and let the former Brighton man give you width; alternatively, you can also have him on the inside, creating overloads with Maddison.
What does he bring to the side?
Tottenham Hotspur's Matt Doherty passes the ball as Brighton's Pervis Estupinan looks on during a match in October 2022. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Pervis Estupinan could add a lot to the current side. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
The first thing is his role versatility in the same position, given how he can underlap as well as overlap. Moreover, his presence can allow Maddison as well as Son to drift more inwards, given how the Brighton man has the capacity to hold width. He has also played in Brighton sides that have been known to build from the back, and he brings that first-phase ability, especially when facing pressure.
He is also good with his final balls and crosses, which could mean Ange can use the physical presence of Solanke in the box.
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Author Opinion
I do think that Pervis Estupinan is someone that is made for how Ange wants to play and does bring more variability to the way that the team plays. He gives you that duality that Tottenham need, given his ability to invert like a midfielder as well as attack like a winger. While Udogie gives you chaos, Estupinan brings structure.