Spurs should pounce on ‘unique’ 22-year-old centre-back in wake of shock European result – TBR View

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Tottenham Hotspur could hardly have gained a better opportunity to swoop for Kristoffer Ajer in wake of Wednesday night’s shock European defeat for his club.

Back in April, Sporten reported that Spurs were ready to reignite their interest in the 22-year-old centre-back after his former agent claimed that a summer move was likely for his client.

Although Ajer is now being represented by a new agency, Tottenham were again linked with the 6ft 5in Norwegian last month, Football London suggesting Spurs could target him.

Though Ajer’s Celtic side have dominated Scottish football for years, they haven’t made quite the same impact on the continent.

Indeed, they were beaten 2-1 by Hungary’s Ferencvaros at Parkhead on Wednesday night, exiting the Champions League in the second qualifying round.

After the game, Neil Lennon shouldered the blame for the defeat, but also questioned the commitment of unnamed players he says want to leave the club.

“There are some players who may want to leave and have made inroads into that over the last six months or so,” he is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.

“If they don’t want to be here, we have to do something about it.

“If they are making waves to leave the club they are obviously not committed. I’m putting it out there because it has been bugging me for a long time.”

In wake of Lennon’s comments, the Daily Record speculated that Ajer could’ve been one of the players in mind.

The outlet noted how the 22-year-old also been linked with AC Milan and Leicester City, and was also left out in favour of Nir Bitton in Celtic’s last two fixtures prior to Ferencvaros.

“I know there is a lot of talk about him but that is a good thing definitely,” teammate Christopher Jullien told the Daily Record earlier this month.

“There is no doubt going to be a lot more. He is a very good player but he’s still on the rise.

“I can say he’s a unique talent and the more he plays, the more clubs are going to come to see him. That’s normal when you are a top player. It’s a good thing.

“But we are very happy to have him and hopefully he will continue to do well. He has already won an incredible number of trophies in his career and he will go on to win more.

“I could say so many things about him. He’s such an accomplished player. He’s tall, he’s fast, he knows how to pass the ball, he knows how to play the game.”

With Jan Vertonghen having left Spurs, Jose Mourinho could well be on the lookout for new recruits at the back, and Ajer would certainly be a good call.