The dream Tottenham and Bournemouth swap deal involving £60m ace that would suit both clubs
Tottenham Hotspur have turned to Thomas Frank as their new manager this summer. The former Brentford man will be eager to show what he can do at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He was picked as the London club’s replacement for Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked at the end of last season.
Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League table in the last campaign. However, they managed to win the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao. They have the chance to sign some more players over the coming weeks.
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Spurs have opened ‘talks’ to sign AFC Bournemouth defender Illya Zabarnyi this summer, according to CaughtOffside. The report suggests they are willing to pay his £60million asking price in this window. League rivals Chelsea, Newcastle United and Liverpool have been mentioned as potential suitors, along with Champions League winners PSG.
Zabarnyi, 22, could be seen by Frank as someone to boost his defensive department. If he joined, he would give them more competition and depth at the back. In addition, he is still young and has potential to get better down the line.
The Ukraine international, who has 49 caps under his belt so far in his career, joined Bournemouth in 2023 and has since become one of their key players. He is a key asset for the Cherries but they could face a battle to keep hold of him amid attention from elsewhere. The centre-back has made 86 appearances in all competitions for the Dorset outfit to date, 39 of which came last term, and he has chipped in with one goal from the back.
Prior to his move to England, he rose up through the academy ranks at Dynamo Kyiv. He was a regular at various different youth levels before breaking into their first-team. The Kyiv-born man played 85 games for his boyhood club before his current team came calling and he hasn’t looked back since.
In an attempt to persuade Bournemouth into selling Zabarnyi, Spurs should offer them Ashley Phillips on loan. The 20-year-old is unlikely to get into Frank’s starting XI immediately and would benefit from another spell away. Getting him in return would help fill the gap left by Zabarnyi’s exit for the Cherries.
Phillips is a bright young talent and is being tipped for a bright future in the game. Letting him join another top flight side on a temporary deal would be the next natural progression for him. It would help him test himself on a regular basis at the top level to boost his development.
The Mancunian, 20, played for Curzon Ashton in non-league before linking up with Blackburn Rovers. He played 14 times for Rovers’ senior team as a teenager before Spurs swooped in for his signature. However, he is yet to play for the first-team in North London.
Instead, he has been shipped out on loan to Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City in the Championship to get some valuable experience under his belt. He was given the green light to link up with the latter last season and played 39 matches altogether. The Potters managed to stay up in the second tier on the final day under Mark Robins after drawing 0-0 away at Derby County.
