Tottenham had revived their interest in Ko Itakura during the final stages of the January transfer window
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou still has problems in defence despite trying to address it during the recently concluded winter window.
Despite the Lilywhites signing Kevin Danso from RC Lens, a lack of depth in the centre-back unit clearly persists after Radu Dragusin was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a serious knee injury.
Dragusin injured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during last week’s Europa League game against Swedish side IF Elfsborg and has now been sidelined for at least six months. The Romanian international has played a key role in Spurs’ campaign after injuries to first-choice centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, holding the defence together alongside Archie Gray and Ben Davies.
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In Danso, Ange Postecoglou has a player now who can fill in for the injured Dragusin until the rest of the season. But, there could be a new worry for the North Londoners, whose injury problems seem no stopping anytime soon.
Van de Ven, who recently returned from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him for almost two months, will be assessed ahead of Spurs’ trip to Liverpool for the return leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday after he missed Sunday’s 2-0 win over Brentford. In addition, Romero is also yet to see action on the pitch after returning to team training in January.
According to an exclusive report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham had revived their interest in Borussia Monchengladbach Ko Itakura in the latter stages of the January transfer window. They shifted their focus toward the Japanese international after seeing a £70 million-worth bid for Marc Guehi rejected by Crystal Palace.
Ko Itakura has established himself as a reliable defender in the Bundesliga in recent seasons. The 28-year-old has been a mainstay at the back for Borussia Monchengladbach, playing in all but one of their league games this season. The Yokohama-born talent, who has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Borussia-Park (Transfermarkt), has played 68 times overall for Gladbach thus far, scoring five goals and assisting three times.
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The aforementioned report adds that Postecoglou is a long-term admirer of Itakura, who was keen on moving to Spurs at the start of the January transfer window after receiving an enquiry. It is understood that Tottenham ‘did their homework’ ahead of a potential move on the deadline day, but it didn’t materialise and Big Ange had to be content with just a senior defensive addition in Danso.
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With Van de Ven and Romero’s fitness a concern, Spurs have a massive decision on their hands as how their defence performs in the next couple of months could determine whether their campaign ends on a high note.