Sky Sports man unsure Piero Hincapie is right for Spurs

Broadcaster Kevin Hatchard believes Tottenham Hotspur should only sign Piero Hincapie if they are going to play him regularly.

The Lowdown: Conte wants defensive reinforcements

It has been reported that Antonio Conte is looking to be backed this winter, with a defender and creative midfielder said to be high on his wishlist this month.

Conte’s desire to improve his defence has seen links emerge to more centre-backs, with youngster Hincapie said to be attracting interest from Spurs, amongst others, as they look to build for the future.

The 21-year-old has been a regular for Bayer Leverkusen this season having featured in 13 league games thus far – and according to Hatchard, that’s what he needs at his age to continue developing. However, that may not be forthcoming if he was to join Tottenham.

The Latest: Not the right time to sign Hincapie

Amid Spurs’ interest in the player, European football expert Hatchard has been speaking live on Sky Sports about the Ecuadorian and how he’s still very raw, having made several big errors this season.

He said: “I said raw about [Georginio] Rutter, I still feel that about Hincapie. I think there is a tremendous young player in there, but he does make mistakes.

“He’s given away penalties, he’s been sent off, he’s made bad passes, things like that. If you’re willing to stick with him and give him game time and let him develop – fine. If you’re going to stick him on a bench, that would be a big worry, for me.”

The Verdict: Hincapie not what Spurs need

Given that Spurs already have the likes of Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero on their books, it’s difficult to see how Hincapie would get sufficient game time at Tottenham this season.

It was reported last month that Hincapie had a price tag on his head of around €30m (£26.5m), so it may not be a difficult deal to structure, however, it is pointless signing young players for Conte unless he signs off on them.

As he has shown with Djed Spence, if Conte doesn’t sign or like the player, he simply won’t be given them a chance. The English youngster has been afforded just seven league minutes and the same could happen with Hincapie if he turns out to be a Daniel Levy signing.

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