Should Tottenham gamble on injury prone Danish centre back this summer? – Opinion

It is not a secret that Tottenham Hotspur are in the transfer market this summer to bring in a new centre-back at Hotspur Way, as Daniel Levy looks to ensure that he can bring in more depth in the position before the commencement of the new season, given how the North Londoners suffered from an injury crisis at the heart of the defence in the previous campaign where Ange Postecoglou had to play a makeshift defence time and again along the campaign where we saw Archie Gray slot into the left as well as right centre-back roles at different points in the season.

But now with Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at N17, the 63-year-old business chairman would want to ensure that his new head coach does not face similar problems in the new season, especially given that the Lilywhites are going to compete on multiple fronts.

And this is why we have seen the North Londoners having been linked to a lot of centre-backs along the summer and in the build-up to it. We have been hearing names like Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite, Nathan Collins and many more along the weeks. But there is also another player with established links with a move to North London in Danish centre-back Thomas Kristensen, and the links with the 23-year-old have compounded since Thomas Frank took charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way.

Thomas Kristensen & his links with Tottenham

Kristensen has been a solid presence at the heart of Genoa since moving to the club from Aarhus GF in 2023. However, he has had a faulty injury record that has been keeping the potential suitors to his signatures at bay. The 23-year-old endured an injury-hit season in the 2024/25 season, where he played about 12 games for club and country owing to multiple injury problems (including a particularly troubling six-week spell out with a calf problem).

And this is why Tottenham are expected to take a “closer look” before securing his signatures, according to Dr Rajpal Brar in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News. The injury expert insists that the North Londoners would want to gauge his injuries and the potential of him being sidelined if he were to move to Tottenham.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, he said:

“Spurs may take a closer look at recent injury issues, with multiple occurrences last season. It’s always a concern whenever there are injuries in the same area, and they will want to gauge if that’s the case. He has faced issues with his calf, too, as it has kept him out of action for six weeks.“

You also have to remember the demands of the English top tier

When we think about the Premier League, we know how the English top tier is one of the most physically demanding leagues in world football, and as a defender, his role is not just about portraying high technical skill; it’s also about showing consistency and the ability to withstand the rigours of weekly battles against pacey attackers and aerial duels (which also is in terms of fitness).

And given the record of the 23-year-old of late, I think there should be a legitimate concern about whether he can handle the pace and power of the English top tier week in and week out. And for a club that is looking to not only re-establish themselves in Europe but also push higher up the table and compete on all fronts, it is better to have a roster of durable players.

Does Kristensen upgrade current players in any way?

Now if we are not talking about his capacity to play fifty to sixty games a season, we need to talk about quality. The Dane, in terms of his playing style and performance that he has been putting in for his current employers, may not be a clear upgrade when we consider the current defensive lineup. He partners with

The partnership between Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven is one of the most dynamic in the English top tier, where they combine aggression along with recovery speed and comfort in possession. And Kristensen, by contrast, has shown limitations in his passing accuracy and progressive play, so when the backline is looming to build from the back, every technical flaw becomes a tactical liability.

Moreover, the Lilywhites have already been blessed with promising young defenders in the pipeline, with teenage Croatian sensation Luka Vuskovic and the recently secured Japanese international Kota Takai, so a signing like Kristensen (without a guarantee of fitness or form) can end up being a hurdle in their path, especially without giving you a substantial upside.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?

Author Opinion

See, I have no doubt that Thomas Kristensen has potential, and given that he is quite young still and has that experience in a top European league, it shows that he can still grow into his potential. But if we are talking about a club with the standards of Tottenham, where every incoming transfer must align with the vision of the head coach and the project that Daniel Levy has undertaken, I feel that the risk with the Dane centre-back outweighs the reward.

And if the North Londoners do end up deciding to go for Kristensen, the chiefs at N17 must be clear about the medical assurances and have a fallback plan in place in case he gets sidelined for a while. Or we risk this being another case of a transfer that fails to make a meaningful impact (and Tottenham simply cannot afford that kind of gamble this summer).