Kevin Campbell believes that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will sign Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij in January, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ centre-back options

The Italian, who tends to go with a back three system, has five senior centre-backs at his disposal at this moment in time.

Eric Dier and Cristian Romero have been used in his first two games in charge, along with left-back Ben Davies as a third centre-back. That has left no place for Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga or Joe Rodon, and it seems that he is after a marquee defensive addition in the New Year.

Reports at the beginning of the month suggested that Conte wants Tottenham to sign De Vrij, with an A-list centre-back a top priority.

The 29-year-old, who was labelled a ‘monster’ by former Lazio defender Mauricio, was a regular under Conte during his time with Inter and is under contract with the Italian giants until 2023.

Campbell, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if De Vrij would be a smart signing. Although he questioned if Spurs needed a new defender, he backed Tottenham to get a deal over the line, if that is what Conte wants, saying:

“Do they need another centre-half? They have got numbers back there.

“Conte will have his own mind of what he wants to do and how he wants to play. They key is signing players who are going to make this team better. They don’t need bodies.

“If De Vrij is the one Conte’s wants, Spurs will go and get him. Conte is very ruthless like that. I’m sure we’ll see him in a Spurs shirt soon.”

The Verdict: Smart move?

De Vrij is a player Conte knows quite well from their mutual time at Inter, so he’ll be well aware of the specific attributes that the Dutch defender would bring to Tottenham along with his wealth of international experience.

With Davies being used out of position as a third centre-back, that could speak volumes in regards to Conte’s thoughts on Sanchez, Tanganga and Rodon.

If he doesn’t feel that the trio are good enough, then a marquee centre-back signing in the New Year could prove to be a shrewd decision, and it seems as if that man could well be De Vrij.

In other news: 'The real winner' of Conte's appointment will still be sold in Spurs clearout, pundit predicts