Alious Brighton Stun Tottenham and Liverpool to Win Race for In-Demand Centre-Back
Brighton & Hove Albion have officially won the race to sign Olivier Boscagli, delivering a blow to both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, who had each been tracking the defender for months.
Tottenham had been monitoring Boscagli since January, viewing the PSV Eindhoven centre-back as a potential long-term replacement for Cristian Romero, who is expected to leave the North London side this summer. Romero’s heroic, Man of the Match performance in the recent Europa League final only highlighted how challenging he will be to replace.
Despite Spurs’ early interest and their previous approach for Boscagli during the winter window, Brighton acted swiftly in recent weeks. According to *TBR Football*, the Seagulls have now agreed personal terms with the 27-year-old French defender, pulling off a significant coup before the summer transfer window officially opens. Their confidence in securing the deal reportedly stemmed from positive discussions held with Boscagli as far back as January.
In snatching Boscagli away from not just Tottenham but also Liverpool and Bournemouth, Brighton have pulled off one of the summer’s first major transfer surprises. New manager Fabian Hürzeler will be thrilled with the defensive reinforcement, which marks an ambitious step forward for the South Coast club.
As for Tottenham, this is the second recent defensive setback. Just last week, they failed to hijack Dean Huijsen’s move to Real Madrid. With Boscagli now off the table, attention is expected to shift to Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. However, securing his signature will be no easy task, as Spurs face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle.
Tottenham’s summer recruitment drive for a Romero successor is now more urgent than ever.
Alious
