Tottenham in race for veteran DF”
Borussia Dortmund legendary defender Mats Hummels has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur for Son Heung-min, a player he described as a nightmare.
“Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign experienced defender Mats Hummels on a free transfer,” British media outlet HITC reported on Sunday.
Hummels, a German defender born in 1988, will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2023-24 season. “After 13 successful seasons, Borussia Dortmund center back Mats Hummels is leaving the club,” Dortmund announced on the club’s official website on Thursday.
Hummels joined Dortmund in the summer of 2007 and went on to play nine seasons for the club, becoming one of Germany’s leading defenders beyond Dortmund. Despite his lack of pace, the 6-foot-4 defender was a competitor in the air and led the team with his intelligent defense. He was part of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he helped Germany win the tournament.
He was also part of the club’s title triumphs. With Hummels, Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, as well as the DFB-Pokal in 2011-2012, making it a double.
After being part of Dortmund’s heyday, Hummels left the club at the end of the 2015-2016 season to join his hometown club and Dortmund’s rivals, Bayern Munich. After three years in Munich, he returned to Dortmund and played for five more years, becoming a Dortmund legend.
After 508 games for Dortmund, Hummels reached the UEFA Champions League final in the 2023-24 season, where he went on to win his first Champions League title, but fell short to Real Madrid.
Despite missing out on the coveted UEFA Champions League title, Hummels still managed to score four goals and provide one assist in 40 appearances across all competitions this season, playing 2,931 minutes. Despite his age, Hummels still has the skills to be a top-class center back in the Bundesliga, so all eyes will be on his next destination.
According to the media, Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, are considering signing Hummels as a free agent. “Tottenham and Newcastle will not 메이저토토사이트 only be battling for the fourth spot in the Premier League next season, but they could also now compete for the signature of Mats Hummels,” the outlet explained.
“According to sources, Hummels has informed the Premier League clubs of his intention to leave Dortmund and head to England,” it said. “One of the best center backs in the world in his prime, he has made it clear he wants to stay in Europe, shunning interest from the Saudi Professional League and the US Major League Soccer (MLS).”
For Tottenham, signing Hummels is an attractive option. Currently, Micky Vander Penn and Christian Romero are Spurs’ starting center-back pairing, but with UEFA Europa League play starting next season, the club needs to expand its squad.
The addition of Hummels, who is older but still capable of competing for a starting spot, would be a huge boost for Spurs. His quality and experience could have a positive impact on the existing players, and as a free agent, he wouldn’t cost them anything.
Meanwhile, if Hummels were to pull on a Tottenham shirt, it would be a strange situation. Spurs are led by Son Heung-min, who Hummels described as a “nightmare” to play against.
Heung-min has been a formidable opponent for Dortmund in 토토사이트 추천 his time at Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen as well as at Spurs. He has scored nine goals in 12 appearances against Dortmund so far.
Hummels has admitted that Son is a ‘Dortmund killer’. In a past interview, he said: “He scored a lot of goals against me when we were in the Bundesliga. He really did something against us,” he said, adding, “When he was at Leverkusen and Hamburg, he was a total nightmare to play against.”
If Hummels decides to move to the Premier League, and if he chooses to play for a team other than Tottenham, he will face Son Heung-min again. Now in his mid-30s, Hummels is expected to have a harder time stopping Son, so it will be interesting to see if he chooses to avoid teaming up with the South Korean or if he’ll go head-to-head with him once again.