Tottenham Hotspur tipped to have interest in Celtic World Cup star as 'low millions' signing praised for impact

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could look to Celtic star Josip Juranovic to improve his options on the right of defence, according to a former Spurs and England star.

The Croatian has started all three of his country’s matches at the World Cup, impressing in the recent draw with Belgium which saw the team go through in second place to set up a last-16 tie with Japan.

Ahead of the tournament it was reported Celtic may look to cash in on Juranovic after the World Cup if there is interest. The 27-year-old, signed in the summer of 2021 from Legia Warsaw for just £2.5million, has a contract at Parkhead until 2026. There was, however, interest in the summer and it appears Ange Postecoglou already has a replacement lined up in Alistair Johnston. The versatile Canadian defender is understood to be close to completing a deal worth around 4million from MLS side CF Montreal.

Former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson reckons Conte will look to strengthen his right-sided options although with the team playing a 3-4-3 he may want a more natural wing-back.

"The right-wing back position is clearly an area that Antonio Conte is unhappy with,” Robinson told OLBG. “The Tottenham fans are not happy too. Emerson Royal is very inconsistent, Matt Doherty has been in and out of the side. Conte will be looking at Josip Juranovic after his performance against Canada, but Conte might want more of a specialised wing-back.”

Meanwhile, one of the key individuals involved in bringing Sead Haksabanovic to Celtic revealed the difficulty of bringing the player to the club from Russian football. The Montenegrin, who has been an asset this campaign, was signed for a much lower fee than Rubin Kazan had originally paid for him.

“It was a difficult deal because he was a Russian club, Rubin Kazan, which as you could imagine wasn’t easy in the current climate,” Simon Conning, from sports management company Crown Football Talent told Sky Sports World Cup breakfast show “We managed to get him out to Celtic for a low number of millions and he’s doing really well. He’s done well in the Champions League so far and we’re quite pleased with that work and I think Celtic fans will say they’re pleased with him as well.”