Tottenham Hotspur have struggled this season, and the main reason is the plethora of injuries to the rearguard.
First-choice central defenders for Tottenham Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven missed a chunk of the campaign with injuries, leaving the backline depleted and brittle.
It did not help that another Spurs centre-back, Radu Dragusin, suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month.
Tottenham could use defensive additions to solidify their base this summer, and Spurs should swoop for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen in our opinion.
Fabrizio Romano revealed that the highly-touted 19-year-old has a £50 million release clause which becomes active this summer. Tottenham must be all over that deal.
Huijsen is a 6ft5ins defender who is progressing nicely. Tipped by football greats like Jose Mourinho and Daniele De Rossi to become one of the best in the world, he has been showing glimpses of his immense potential in the Premier League.
Tottenham witnessed his prowess first-hand in December when he put in an assured defensive performance and still scored the winner as Bournemouth defeated Spurs 1-0.
Against Tottenham, Huijsen won all five of his ground and aerial duels while putting in four tackles and blocking one shot. He has an assured style and reads the game well.
On the ball, he is a masterful operator. He is almost as ambipedal as Ousmane Dembele and shows it with his excellent passing range.
Huijsen is not perfect. He can be too eager to jump the line to mark his man. He should also learn to impose his frame better, especially when dealing with aerial duels over the top, but he has all the tools for Tottenham to work with.
Tottenham must get a deal over the line for the young defender. Spurs showed ambition with the Mathys Tel swoop and should make a similar move for Huijsen to strengthen the rearguard.
Spurs have a working relationship with Bournemouth after the Dominic Solanke transfer. The North Londoners are also eyeing Cherries manager Andoni Iraola to replace Ange Postecoglou, setting up an interesting summer transfer window.
(Stats from Sofascore)