Journalist Süleyman Öztürk has urged Tottenham Hotspur to make a move for Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk in Janaury.
Öztürk was speaking to Voetbal Zone about the form of Struijk, where he labelled him as the ‘best’ centre back in the Championship, before then claiming he must leave to further his national team prospects.
Tottenham were plunged into a defensive crisis on Monday evening after Struijk’s fellow Dutchman Micky van de Ven picked up what appears to be a very serious hamstring injury.
In the same game, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were both also shown red cards, with the former now set to be suspended for the next three matches.
That leaves Spurs with just one recognised centre-back in that period, while the injury to van de Ven is likely to force them into the transfer market in January.
Struijk should ignore speculation and stay at Leeds
Despite these comments from Öztürk and the obvious temptation of a club like Spurs, Struijk should stay at Leeds until at least the summer.
The 24-year-old endured a nightmare campaign in the Premier League last season after being moved across the defence, something which seriously hampered his confidence.
However, under Daniel Farke, Struijk has played every minute of every game at left centre-back, is in a style of football that suits him perfectly, and is captain whenever Liam Cooper or Luke Ayling don’t start. That is now more often than not.
A full season under his belt at this level is exactly what he needs for the time being to return to the Premier League a much improved player, whether that be with Leeds, or another club if promotion is secured.
Struijk can learn from the mistakes of some of his past teammates by jumping ship too quickly. He has benefitted more than most for the drop in division.
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