Tottenham Hotspur supporters will be hoping for an active January transfer window, following their recent injury crisis, but it is believed high-ranking Spurs officials have already made a key decision in regard to outgoings next month.
Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham will try to reinforce the squad in January
Manager Ange Postecoglou has been under fire in recent weeks, and their most recent 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool wouldn’t have helped his cause.
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Postecoglou was forced to bear witness to truly abject defending at times, with Premier League title favourites Liverpool often cutting through them like a knife through butter, even if the home side showed positive signs going forward in an effort to reduce the deficit.
Spurs are not helped by their severe lack of defensive options right now. First-choice centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are sidelined through injury, alongside veteran Ben Davies, forcing Postecoglou to rely on teenage summer signing Archie Gray to partner Radu Dragusin at the heart of his backline.
Nottingham Forest (away)
December 26
Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
December 29
Newcastle United (home)
January 4
Arsenal (away)
January 15
Everton (away)
January 19
This has led to suggestions that Tottenham are targeting a new central defender in January, with the likes of Feyenoord ace David Hancko, RC Lens starlet Abdukodir Khusanov, Getafe’s Omar Alderete, Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck and Leeds United mainstay Pascal Struijk among the centre-backs linked with moves to Spurs in the last week alone.
While refusing to be specific over who they could go after, Postecoglou has now said that Spurs will try to reinforce the squad in January, in fresh press conference quotes transcribed by football.london this morning.
“I think, yeah, reinforcement,” said Postecoglou ahead of their trip to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
“Like I said a while ago, we’ve been planning. A lot of it was going to be around where we’re at around this time. Fair to say we’re still a little bit short in a couple of areas and we need to reinforce. But January’s trickier in terms of what sort of players you can bring in. For us, ideal — for any club, I guess — you want to bring in people who are going to make you stronger. I think the fact that, obviously, we’re still in the Carabao Cup semi-final, still got Europe, FA Cup, we’re in all the competitions, it’s not like our schedule’s going to ease up at any stage.
“So I think it makes sense. We will try and reinforce where and what number we’ll have to wait and see.”
Tottenham pull "major U-turn" over Djed Spence exit in January
One of the few silver linings of Tottenham’s injury woes has been the resurgence of previous outcast Djed Spence.
The 2022 summer signing, who former boss Antonio Conte infamously branded a club signing, has spent his last two years at N17 on the fringes of Spurs’ first team – going out on loan spells to Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa.
His Spurs career looked all but dead in the water at one point, but Postecoglou re-introduced Spence into the first-team fold at the start of this season – an opportunity he’s grasped with both hands.
The right-back has been forced to wait patiently for chances since scoring against Coventry City in the Carabao Cup, making the odd substitute appearance in parts, with Postecoglou then finally giving him the nod to start his first ever Tottenham game in the Premier League against Southampton.
Spence seriously impressed at St. Mary’s, notching an assist in their 5-0 win as one of their best players, and he provided another one in Tottenham’s 3-2 EFL Cup quarter-final triumph over Man United just days later.
This motivated Postecoglou to start the Englishman once more against Liverpool, and you’d think he’s staked his claim for a place in the starting eleven at Forest on Boxing Day.
In light of his resurrection in north London, GiveMeSport have now reported that “influential figures” at Tottenham have pulled a “major U-turn” over letting Spence leave in January – with Postecoglou’s side deciding to keep hold of the 24-year-old as he rises to the occasion.
Over two years after signing for Spurs from Middlesbrough, chairman Daniel Levy’s decision to bring in the defender is now starting to pay dividends.