Ange Postecoglou’s first transfer window at Tottenham was a great success and the Australian will be looking to make it to the second of two in January. Spurs have been plagued by injury problems in recent months and the winter transfer window is an important opportunity to improve the squad for the second part of the season. In this article, Express Sport gives you an insight into how that could happen for the north Londoners.
The absence of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero has proved costly for Tottenham this season, and Postecoglou has been forced to field full-backs like Ben Davies and Emerson Royal in the centre of his back line.
The Spurs boss has not shied away from admitting that a central defender will be a priority in January, with Jean-Clair Todibo reported to be his main target. The 23-year-old came of age at OGC Nice, having previously played at Toulouse and Barcelona.
Competition for Todibo’s signature will be fierce as Manchester United also want the defender, so Spurs are said to be monitoring Tosin Adarabioya, Jarrad Branthwaite, Lloyd Kelly, Marco Guehi and Radu Dragusin as backup options.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to approve the transfer of Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice to Tottenham, even though Manchester United are interested in the defender, according to the Daily Mirror.
Replacement for Son Heung-Min
Son has scored 11 goals in the Premier League this season, more than twice as many as his nearest teammate. So it will be a big loss when he travels to the Asian Cup with South Korea next month.
Postecoglou is said to be keen to bring in a versatile striker to make up for Son’s absence and improve the whole squad. Jota, who excelled at Celtic under the Australian’s guidance but struggled to establish himself at Al-Ittihad, has been linked with a move to north London.
Spurs are also looking to address that issue by bringing youngster Dane Scarlett in from a loan spell at Ipswich Town, with talks confirmed by Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna.
Five departures are in sight:
Postecoglou is said to want a new central midfielder as well as a centre-back and a striker to complete the overhaul of his team’s spine. Conor Gallagher is interesting, but first Spurs would have to hand Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Fulham or Bayern Munich.
The Dane could be one of the five departures that will happen in the January window. Youngsters Bryan Gil and Alejo Veliz are fighting for playing time this campaign, so it would not be a surprise if they leave on loan.
Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris are much older, but Postecoglou has made it clear by his team selection that he does not include them in his long-term plans, which opens the door for two more departures.