Clement Lenglet set to join Tottenham on loan
Clement Lenglet becomes Barcelona’s first official departure ahead of next season.
The Catalan side has reached an agreement with Tottenham on a season-long loan for the French center-back.
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Sporting director Jordi Cruyff confirmed the agreement during Andreas Christensen’s unveiling.
“Lenglet’s departure is about to become official,” Cruyff said.
One of the final issues both sides were discussing was whether or not a purchase option would be included. In the end, no such option was included, meaning Lenglet will return to Barcelona once the loan ends.
He saw his playing time diminish last season following the arrival of Eric Garcia from Manchester City and the emergence of Ronald Araujo. Even with Gerard Pique’s injury-plagued season, Lenglet’s minutes only improved slightly.
He was one of the handful of players who was told by Xavi Hernandez that he did not enter into his plans for next season.
Lenglet became far too error prone the past two seasons, conceding clumsy penalties in crucial games. To no one’s surprise, he became a point of ire for supporters who viewed him as one of the reasons for the club’s decline on the pitch despite having a good first season after arriving from Sevilla.
With the signing of Christensen from Chelsea, Lenglet was set for a similar season in which he would ride the bench. Given it’s a World Cup year, he no doubt wants to play and have a chance to make the French squad.
Tottenham needed to reinforce in defense and if he’s able to recover his form, Lenglet should come good for Antonio Conte.
Lenglet becomes Spurs’ fifth signing following Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma. With Champions League in play for Conte and his team next season, they want to ensure they have enough depth to put up a fight on all fronts.