Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is big fan of Ben Davies but that may not prevent a summer move for a left-sided defender.
The Mauricio Pochettino era is long, long gone but Davies remains at the club nearly 10 years since his arrival.
Davies has now racked up more than 300 appearances for Tottenham, proving to be a solid and dependable player whenever called upon.
Left back, left wing back, left centre back – Davies has done it all up that flank for Tottenham.
Postecoglou hailed Davies as ‘outstanding’ in March but the Welshman just hasn’t been playing regularly.
Few would really begrudge Davies if he wanted to move on and play regularly elsewhere and Tottenham may need to have left-footed defenders in mind as potential replacements.
Tottenham want Lloyd Kelly
The left side of Tottenham’s defence has been impressive this season with Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie both impressing.
That is ultimately why Davies hasn’t had much of a look-in except for when injuries and suspensions have occurred.
If Tottenham do look to bring in another option, Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly would make sense.
The Mirror claim that Tottenham are maintaining a firm interest in signing Kelly at the end of the season.
Kelly is out of contract this summer and is expected to leave the club on a free transfer.
Newcastle United are also thought to be keen but Tottenham are right in the mix for a potential bargain signing.
Kelly – hailed as ‘outstanding’ by his former boss Eddie Howe – may well be tempted by a reunion at St James’ Park this summer.
Kelly connection at Tottenham
Tottenham do have a connection to Kelly though.
Coach Matt Wells – who primarily works with Tottenham’s defenders – coached Kelly at Bournemouth as part of Scott Parker’s staff.
Wells will know all about Kelly and whether he would fit into Tottenham’s rather bold approach under Ange Postecoglou.
Kelly worked closely with Wells at Bournemouth and could fancy operating under his methods in training once again.
Kelly has played as both a left back and as a centre back whilst offering a homegrown option.
One of the main problems though is that injury issues have plagued Kelly and he has only managed 14 Premier League starts this season.
The Telegraph suggested that Tottenham moved away from a January pursuit of Kelly due to his injury concerns, but these latest reports suggest that he is still on the radar.
This may be a low-risk signing for Tottenham given Kelly’s status as a free agent but Spurs will be mindful of that injury record even for a bargain basement signing.