Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski claims the club are still in a strong position when it comes to goalkeepers in the squad despite No.1 Guglielmo Vicario being ruled out for months after undergoing ankle surgery.
Veteran stopper Fraser Forster stepped in for Thursday night’s Europa League draw with Roma and will continue as Ange Postecoglou’s first choice until Vicario returns after the Spurs boss admitted that the club would not be pursuing any free agent options.
The likes of Keylor Navas and Loris Karius have been mooted as potential options for Tottenham but Postecoglou is ready to keep faith with Forster and the club’s younger options as back-ups.
Both Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman were on the bench for the game against Roma and Kulusevski namechecked the former when asked about Vicario’s injury and Forster’s ability to step up following the Thursday night encounter.
The former England stopper was blamed by some Tottenham fans for his role in Roma’s first goal but Kulusevski had nothing but praise for Forster after the game, while also revealing that the club are in good shape with Austin as his deputy.
“He’s [Forster] really good and he made some big saves today [Thursday]. It’s great to have him and I think he’s ready to play,” Kulusevski told the media.
“And I also feel confident that we have Brandon Austin , who’s a very good goalkeeper.
“We miss Vicario because he’s a fantastic guy, but now it is time for Fraser to step up and help the team.”
Austin yet to earn his spurs
Despite how highly the club rates both Austin and Whiteman, there have still been reports of a move for a new keeper in January to eventually replace Forster who will be out of contract in 2025.
Indeed, two highly-rated Championship stoppers have been touted as strong options in that regard as the club has one eye on the future of the position.
In terms of Austin’s time at the club, the 25-year-old has never been used in a competitive game by Postecoglou although he has had minutes during pre-season.
Postecoglou did, however, admit Austin, who has been at the club since 2007, is improving constantly at Hotspur Way but it seems Forster has nailed down the spot between the sticks.
“Brandon (Austin) is improving all the time and Alfie (Whiteman) has been at the club for a while,” Postecoglou told the media this week.
“We’re happy with what we’ve got. I don’t think us signing a free agent now is going to help us.”
Latest Tottenham news: Spurs eyeing Lens centre-back / Bayern star urged to make Prem switch
Tottenham are reportedly facing a potential battle with French giants PSG over their interest in signing a powerful Ligue 1 centre-back in the January transfer window.
It’s common knowledge that Ange Postecoglou wants to add another central defender to his squad in the new year after Micky van de Ven suffered another hamstring problem, while Cristian Romero has been struggling with a toe issue.
One player who has been tipped to make the move to Tottenham is impressive Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov. TT understands that the Uzbekistan international is also on the radars of the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle amongst others and now Foot Mercato reports that reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on making a move for Khusanov.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka has been told to consider a move to Spurs amid Manchester United keeping tabs on his situation.
Throughout most of his time at Bayern, Goretzka has generally been a mainstay in central midfield. However, the German had a frustrating start to the season as he was largely left on the bench by new manager Vincent Kompany.
That has led to speculation he could be on the move and Germany icon Lothar Matthaus sees Tottenham as a good fit.