Over the summer, it was made very clear by the Italian media that Tottenham, now led by Antonio Conte, wanted to sign Nicolo Zaniolo from AS Roma, who has been recently linked with Arsenal.
The Italian has been a target for Spurs since before José Mourinho was in charge, with the Portuguese now coincidentally his manager at the Serie A club.
However, despite a willingness to part ways with their star if faced with the right offer, Roma rejected what Tottenham put forward, because it didn’t meet their criteria.
Due to the player’s injury record, it appeared that Spurs, while keen, wanted to first loan the midfielder before committing to a big sum.
That didn’t please the Italians, but it doesn’t stop the fact the player came very close to signing for Tottenham, where Conte and Fabio Paratici would welcome him with open arms.
That remains the case to this day, and even if Arsenal are said to now be keen, the belief is that there is only one destination in London for Zaniolo should he leave Rome.
The journalist told Wettfreunde: “Nicolo Zaniolo only had one real request in the summer and that was Tottenham. They tried to get him, but with a swap deal with other players, or a loan option, and AS Roma didn’t want to sell the player under those conditions.
“Now, like Leão or Skriniar, it’s about Zaniolo’s contract. They need to renew his contract if they want the contractual power if the player makes a request. Arsenal or other clubs? No. Only Tottenham can come back because Paratici is one of the chiefs who has wanted Zaniolo for a long time. Even when he was at Juventus.”
Having endured two serious knee injuries in the past, the Italian has also missed some time this season because of a shoulder injury, which is why he has only featured seven times for Roma, picking up one assist.
We’ll have to wait and see whether Tottenham do come back for him in January or down the line, all depending on his contractual renewal, of course, but if they do and are joined by Arsenal, it seems Spurs would be the ones to win that specific north London derby.
