Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is personally keen to make one signing in a key position with two stars set for a brief 2024 hiatus.
Spurs' lack of squad depth
The Lilywhites are set to miss both Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero through suspension as they gear up to take on Wolves in the Premier League this weekend. Alongside the defensive duo, both James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were also forced to leave the field during Spurs' 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday, coming after they both sustained injury problems.
All of the aforementioned quartet have been pivotal to Postecoglou and Tottenham's early-season success, with van de Ven now facing a lengthy spell out in particular. The Dutchman hobbled off while clutching his hamstring against Chelsea, an issue that Postecoglou later described as "significant".
During their defeat against former boss Mauricio Pochettino's side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the north Londoners were forced to deploy the previously out-of-favour Eric Dier and Emerson Royal at centre-back in a high line.
The far less creative Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also came on for Maddison, and it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou sets up against Wolves with all of these absences.
Spurs transfer plans for January
New Tottenham transfer chief Johan Lange, who is now tasked with helping to back Postecoglou with new additions, will be looking to January for a solution to resolve Spurs' lack of depth. There have been reports that Spurs are plotting to sign a new defender. Indeed, Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah is apparently admired by Tottenham, while Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly is on Spurs' radar too.
Speaking last week, Postecoglou called the January window an "important" one for Tottenham, but also said he won't be adding players for the sake of it.
"Just spending endless money to get the best players has been proven time and time again is not the answer," said Postecoglou on Spurs' transfer plans.
"The answer is to get the right chemistry in your team, in your squad, to have 24 players committed to one cause. I don’t think you can do that If you just get the 24 best players in the world. That’s a headache I definitely don’t want."
Postecoglou wants new midfielder
However, it is believed that Postecoglou personally wants to sign a new midfielder in January. This comes as both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations next year. That is according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke, who claim that the duo's 2024 hiatus may have motivated Postecoglou to seek more midfield options in the new year.
Hojbjerg's potential exit is another factor to consider, with previous reports suggesting Man City star Kalvin Phillips is one of the names considered by Spurs.
"A defensive midfielder is likely to be on the agenda for Tottenham with Postecoglou keen to bolster his options in the middle of the park," wrote O'Rourke.
"Spurs are set to lose key duo Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr to the African Cup of Nations early next year, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could leave after coming close to quitting in the most recent summer window."
