Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been described as "desperate" to sign an alternative to midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, with the Uruguayan's horror head injury against Leicester City exposing the need for more options.
Bentancur knocked unconscious in 1-1 draw away to Leicester
Following a clash of heads with Foxes forward Abdul Fatawu, Bentancur was knocked unconscious and required oxygen, before being stretchered off the field in what was a real scare for the South American.
Following the incident, Postecoglou confirmed that Bentancur was back awake and able to hold conversations, but didn't add much further as the 27-year-old gets medical treatment behind-the-scenes.
“I don’t have a lot of information but I do know he is up and is communicating, so he is fine from that point of view, but a head injury and I’ll leave it in the hands of the medical team now,” said Postecoglou on Bentancur's head injury.
“The key thing is he is definitely conscious and communicating.”
Concussion protocols mean that Bentancur will almost certainly miss Spurs' next game at home to Everton, and this incident perhaps highlights the need for Postecoglou to get an extra body in his midfield before the transfer cut-off on August 31.
The north Londoners let go of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earlier this summer, who joined Marseille on a season loan-to-buy deal, while Oliver Skipp most recently departed for Leicester in a transfer worth around £20 million.
There are few back-ups to call upon in the event of absences and serious injuries in midfield, which is a real cause for concern for Postecoglou, as all the Premier League's elite sides all have one thing in common - strength in depth.
Postecoglou desperate to sign Bentancur alternative at Tottenham
As per GiveMeSport, Postecoglou is apparently "desperate" to sign a Bentancur alternative for Tottenham before deadline day, and it is believed they're considering a move for £50 million Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes as a result.
The Brazilian starred under Gary O'Neil last season, scoring two goals and assisting one other in 34 Premier League appearances. Just 23 years of age, Gomes fits the bill of a young and tenacious tackler who could be a real asset for the Lilywhites, but it could be a very difficult deal to pull off this late in the window.
"They set the tone absolutely terrifically. They've got a nice partnership going," said BBC pundit Danny Murphy on both Gomes and Mario Lemina, after the pair caused Spurs real problems back in February.
"They know Tottenham like to play out, they were brave and tried to win it back. As soon as they won it back they got the transitions with the pace of Neto and Hwang [Hee-Chan] up front.
"The defensive work in central midfield is something that goes unnoticed sometimes, but you can't win matches in the Premier League unless your midfielders do the hard yards and the dirty bits and they did it brilliantly. The pair of them, outstanding."