Tottenham could reinforce their porous defence in the winter window
Tottenham Hotspur haven’t enjoyed a great start to the 2024/25 season and that is reflected by their eighth position in the Premier League table.
Despite a mixed beginning, only Manchester City and Chelsea have scored more than Spurs’ 18 goals so far this campaign. On the contrary, things have been poor at the other end of the pitch. The north Londoners have kept only two clean sheets in their opening nine Premier League games.
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With that said, behind the scenes, Daniel Levy and Johan Lange are keeping tabs on a central defender ahead of the January transfer window to strengthen the squad. This is the view of former Tottenham scout Mick Brown. He thinks the lack of depth in defence has played a big part in Spurs’ slow start to the campaign and the club are making plans to recruit a centre-half in the winter window.
“Tottenham worry me defensively,” Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider.
“They fall down at the fundamentals, they’re just not good enough at the back. That’s even with their first-choice team on the pitch.
“Their strength in depth is an issue too because it makes rotation difficult.”
Brown gave the examples of Manchester City and Arsenal’s defensive stability, urging Spurs to set them as the “benchmarks” if they are to taste success under Ange Postecoglou.
“All the best teams have defensive units that you know you can rely upon every week,” he added.
“Look at Arsenal, for example, the big reason they’ve been able to challenge for the title is because of their defenders.
“Gabriel and Saliba are so solid at the back, and everybody does their bit.
“Man City as well, everybody talks about their attacking talent and rightly so, but their defence is outstanding with the likes of Dias, Akanji and Gvardiol.
“They’ve got a settled pairing in Romero and Van de Ven, but behind them, they’re short of real quality options and strength in depth.
“From what I’m hearing, they want to bring in someone who can fill in if those two miss out.”
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are Tottenham’s undisputed first-choice centre-back pairing. They were solid last season, playing a big role in Spurs achieving a Europa League spot. This campaign the duo haven’t quite been at their best thus far, especially Romero, who has made silly mistakes and had lapses of concentration in games.
Radu Dragusin is their only natural back-up option, having arrived at N17 from Genoa in January. The Romanian international has seen limited action at Spurs, starting just one league game in the ongoing season. And the young defender has been linked with an exit from the Hotspur Way off late.
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Thus, it is extremely clear that Tottenham do need defensive reinforcements to not only enhance the depth of the squad but also to push both Romero and Van de Ven to their limits. Healthy competition within Big Ange’s ranks is critical for success, so don’t be surprised if Levy and Co. decide to splash the cash on a quality centre-half in January.
