Tottenham are still hopeful of being one of the most active clubs in Europe this transfer window with sources revealing they remain in talks over multiple deals and with Daniel Levy very much keen to give Ange Postecoglou a squad capable of pushing for the top-four finish in the Premier League.
The north London side have endured an indifferent and inconsistent campaign so far, perhaps best exemplified by their last two games which saw them overcome Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg before days later being held to a goalless draw, before triumphing in extra time, against non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup third round.
In an effort to iron out those inconsistencies, Tottenham chairman Levy still hopes to bring in several new signings this month – and talks have been ongoing over deals with multiple targets. We understand Spurs are very keen on a striker and a central defender as a priority, though are also exploring a number of other opportunities elsewhere.
Sources have also confirmed that the club have spoken to six different players in the last two weeks trying to find the best deals and work out who they can get. One of the biggest challenges facing Spurs is beating the competition to players with several top clubs all shopping in the same pool.
A central defender, though, is seen as key and one area that Postecoglou is desperate to bolster having seen injuries to Micky van de Ven and Christian Romero proving his point and forcing him to play teenage midfielder Archie Gray as an emergency centre-half. The manager has eyes for Bournemouth man Ilya Zabarnyi, but he is one of multiple options according to those close to the club.
Spurs are also keen to bolster their attacking options though and recently lost out on Randal Kolo Muani after he decided to move to Juventus and play the rest of the campaign in Serie A.
Sources had previously revealed that the France international was a key target for Levy and Spurs pushed hard to get a deal done, only to be ultimately left disappointed.
One such player they are looking at is Nice’s Ivory Coast international attacker Evann Guessand.
Spurs backing Postecoglou – but cautious over transfer pitfalls
As a result, they continue to look for a variety of options, be it an out-and-out striker or an attacker equally adept at playing off the wing. To that end, the club have been speaking with the agents of multiple players this month who could make a difference. However, there remains an overall understanding that the likelihood of getting priced out remains strong as the window nears its conclusion.
Levy has stated clearly that he will back Postecoglou but that does not mean he will do anything stupid and spend way over the odds to land targets.
But it is our understanding that the bank balance will be dipped into as the club aim to bring in multiple new faces and have a successful campaign.
Postecoglou has come under some pressure this season over Tottenham’s apparent struggles and failure to build on a promising first season. However, despite the noises coming out in the media every time Spurs suffer a bad result, there is some sympathy on the board given the situation the Aussie finds himself in in terms of the number of injuries they are having to contend with.
That said, we understand that Spurs – like any well-run club – does have a contingency plan in place should they decide to remove the Aussie from his duties.
To that end, they will review his position at the season’s end and amid our understanding that a potential successor has already been identified.
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Spurs’ only new addition so far this month is Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, signed in a £12.5m deal from Slavia Prague. The 21-year-old is contracted to 2031 and has already made quite the impression, keeping successive clean sheets in the Spurs goal.
However, his time at N17 is already being touted as a stepping stone for bigger and better things amid claims the Spurs keeper is already learning Spanish ahead of a future move to Real Madrid.
He’s not the only Spurs youngster linked with the Spanish giants either, with bold claims earlier this week claiming Carlo Ancelotti’s side are also casting admiring glances towards teenage star Gray and amid claims they are willing to offer Spurs an instant ‘profit’ on their original investment from Leeds.
And finally, Postecoglou has confirmed that Tottenham are ready to let another top young talent leave on loan before the January transfer window shut, despite the club still being in the midst of an injury crisis.
Will Lankshear is the player in question, with Postecoglou, indicating that the young striker is in need of more game time.
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