Juventus' Angelo Ogbonna a Good Summer Signing for Tottenham at the Right Price

Tottenham have a defensive problem.

The consistent sloppiness of their back line is the reason why they've slipped out of the race for the top four, and manager Mauricio Pochettino must find improvements.

Rumours persist that a deal has been concluded for centre-back Kevin Wimmer, while Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph suggests the interest between Atletico defender Toby Alderweireld and Spurs appears to be mutual.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport (h/t HITC Sport) is reporting that Spurs are also considering Juventus centre-back Angelo Ogbonna.

The athletic and skillful defender, who is also a capable emergency left-back, is a useful squad member at Juve. However, Spurs could offer more consistent football and a wage rise.

Talented enough to have been snapped up by the Bianconeri, Ogbonna has been caught in the logjam of top-quality defenders at Juventus and been restricted to just 13 starts in Serie A. He started just one game between December and April.

At the international level, Ogbonna has been recognised by his inclusion in numerous Azzurri squads but has just 11 caps in four years since making his debut.

Tottenham signed Ben Davies, Federico Fazio, Eric Dier and DeAndre Yedlin last summer. That makes for an entirely new defence, three members of which ended the weekend's defeat against Aston Villa playing together.

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

Davies, Yedlin and Dier (all under 22 years old) were signed for the future, but Fazio was supposed to be able to deliver immediately.

Impressive at times, he has not been the first-choice central defender he was billed as. His absolute lack of pace means he can be easily exposed, particularly when not being given adequate cover from his right-back and midfield.

At 26, Ogbonna should be approaching his prime, but he has instead stagnated since leaving Torino in 2013. He is a leader on the pitch and was the captain of his former club. Spurs are desperately short of leadership, and a more experienced player would do their young back line some good.

Younes Kaboul, still ostensibly the club captain, is a certainty to leave the club at the end of this season. Vlad Chiriches could survive but seems to be far away from the first-team picture.

The porous nature of Spurs' defence, the imminent departures of several first-team players and Pochettino's evident lack of confidence in Fazio together make it a virtual certainty that Spurs will sign a centre-back in the summer.

Ogbonna's contract will still have three years to run after this season, so he would only realistically be an option if Juve are willing to sell.

Juventus' buyout of Daniele Rugani's co-ownership deal in January probably indicates that Ogbonna is available.

Powerful and composed, Ogbonna prefers using timing and anticipation rather than power to dispossess an opponent. He is also comfortable with the ball at his feet. With that said, he is used to the more sedate pace of Serie A and playing for a team that generally dominates possession, so the Premier League would represent a steep learning curve.

WhoScored.com has awarded him a 6.98 rating on average in his Serie A appearances this season.

The dilemma for Spurs is that Ogbonna is talented yet remains unpolished. As a rough diamond that moved to Juventus' defensive finishing school two years ago but failed to break through, would he be ready to start immediately in the Premier League?

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

This analysis of his time at Torino by Bleacher Report's Allan Jiang raises questions over his positioning. He has also played almost exclusively in a back three in Italy, meaning he would need time to adjust to the more prevalent back two in England.

Bleacher Report's Adam Digby argues Ogbonna is not performing at the requisite level for Juve.

Ultimately, the appeal of this move hinges on the price.

Ogbonna would be a rival to Jan Vertonghen on the left side of Spurs' defence, but he could prove incapable of adjusting to playing in England both in terms of the team's system and the league's aggressive style.

The list of Italian players who have thrived in England is short, and Ogbonna is not worth the risk to Spurs if Juve demand a significant fee.

Transfermarkt's valuations are often questionably low, but their trends are reliable. They suggest that Ogbonna's value has fallen by roughly 25 per cent since making the move across Turin.

If Spurs can get the Italian for roughly what they paid for Fazio, he would come with the expectation of being a squad player. This would give him time to learn a new game without the pressure to start immediately.

Pochettino is an excellent coach and, given time, would be able to help Obgonna show his undoubted talents for Tottenham.

Their defensive woes can partly be blamed on a system that doesn't include a genuine midfield stopper. Nabil Bentaleb is a fine ball-winner, but that is not his primary role. He does not play with the discipline required to be a typical No. 4 and is too talented to be so restricted.

However, the absence of a strictly defensive player ahead of the back line does not explain away the defensive errors and general ineffectiveness that have become an all too familiar part of Spurs games in this campaign.

Ogbonna could eventually help resolve those issues and lead Spurs to a more successful next season.