Tottenham are planning to reinforce their backline in January with a “top-quality” centre-back
Tottenham Hotspur were in seventh heaven just a few weeks ago after trouncing Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. However, they have come plummeting back down to earth over recent games.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are winless in their last five games across all competitions and recently drew 1-1 with Rangers at the Ibrox in the Europa League. In addition, a draw to Fulham followed by defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea have seen them slip to the bottom half of the Premier League table.
This has seen the Greek-Aussie tactician come under some sort of pressure from certain sections of the fans and media alike. There is an argument to make that Ange Postecoglou should be sacked after a torrid run of results, but for now, the club is backing him to turn around the fortunes.
Over the last couple of days, it has come to the fore that Tottenham are set to provide Postecoglou with the required funds to reinforce the backline. The chiefs at the Hotspur Way have prioritised strengthening the options in defence during the upcoming January transfer window.
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According to former scout Mick Brown, Spurs are working on a deal to sign a “top-class” centre-back next month. He has insisted that the signing of a new central defender could cost the North London club “big money”.
“Tottenham’s biggest problem is their instability in defence,” Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider.
“After these injuries they’ve suffered, I’m told they’re already working on identifying players who they could sign in the transfer window.
“The problem is, there isn’t an excessive amount of available defenders mid-way through the season.
“Spurs want to sign a top-class defender who can step in and make a difference, but that will cost big money in January.
“They are prioritising the signing of a defender, though, because it needs sorting.
“On top of that, if they can sort out their issues at the back, it will help them to make the most of their attacking output going forward.”
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Big Ange has been down to bare bones as far as his central defensive options are concerned. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven ended up picking new issues during the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea and the duo are not expected to return to the pitch anytime soon. Before the Chelsea game, Ben Davies suffered a hamstring injury, and while the boss has eased fears of a big setback and hopes to have him back this month, the medical department has to assess the Welshman’s condition carefully.
This means that at least until January or the potential return of Davies, it will be Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray playing every game in defence. The fact that Dragusin and Gray are the only available options at Big Ange’s disposal further emphasizes the need to reinforce the backline.
Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarnyi has emerged as a strong target for Spurs ahead of the winter transfer window. Rated at upwards of £50m, the club must show some ambition and splash the cash to sign the impressive Zabarnyi from Bournemouth as Big Ange negotiates a difficult period.
