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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly entering the market for new centre-backs in January, and one target is now becoming more tempted to leave in 2025 as Spurs add him to their shortlist.

Spurs target new centre-back after triple injury blow

As things stand, Radu Dragusin is manager Ange Postecoglou's only natural senior central defensive option right now - with trio Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all sidelined through injury.

Postecoglou has been forced to deploy versatile summer signing Archie Gray at centre-back to partner Dragusin in the last few games as a result, and while the teenager's done well in a very unfamiliar role, Tottenham's current injury crisis has exposed the lack of depth in their squad.

Speaking ahead of their blockbuster Premier League clash at home to Liverpool, Postecoglou dropped a transfer hint and suggested that Spurs could go into the market for more experienced players to complement the likes of Gray.

"Moving forward, we probably need to err on the side of getting a little bit more experience, just to help the group, because we’ve got very few at that kind of sweet spot in terms of ages," said Postecoglou in his latest press conference.

"And we want to give the guys in their teens or early twenties the opportunity to keep growing. We need to make sure we put quality around them, so how we allocate the next resources may shift a little bit. But I’d hate to be sitting here now and saying we had an opportunity to sign Archie Gray at 18, and we passed it up because maybe we could have got a player who helps us for a couple of years."

Postecoglou has held recruitment meetings with technical director Johan Lange ahead of January, by his own admission, and reports suggest that Spurs could go after a fresh centre-back option.

There are many potential options for Spurs in this regard, with French newspaper L'Equipe claiming that Tottenham have entered the race for RC Lens starlet Abdukodir Khusanov, who his club are attempting to sell in the winter as they attempt to raise funds.

Postecoglou has also asked Tottenham to consider a move for Getafe's Omar Alderete, as per Spanish media sources, and they're also believed to hold an interest in Feyenoord star David Hancko.

David Hancko open to leaving Feyenoord as Tottenham eye move

The Slovakia international was a key player for Arne Slot during his time at Feyenoord, and has continued to be a mainstay, but he's now considering a fresh chapter away from the Eredivisie side.

That is according to TEAMtalk and journalist Rudy Galetti, who report that Hancko is open to leaving Feyenoord as Tottenham express an interest in signing him.

This transfer appears to be more likely for the summer as things stand, though, and despite contrary reports of a reduced price tag, TT write that Hancko will cost around £41 million to sign in 2025.

That being said, the 48-cap star has a glowing reputation and could be worth the investment, especially if Postecoglou is after proven reinforcements at the back.

“He is so stable and can basically do anything. I just think he is a top defender all-round,” said ex-Feyenoord ace Tim de Cler to SoccerNews.

“I think he can easily handle a club just below the top six in Europe. Then I’m talking about a club like Atlético Madrid or Liverpool. He can certainly handle that.”

As it was last year, this season has been a roller coaster for Tottenham Hotspur fans.

One week, the North Londoners look like the best team in the country and are pulling apart the Premier League champions 4-0, and then the next, they lose at home to winless Ipswich Town.

Ange Postecoglou has turned his side into great entertainers but has not been able to address their problems with consistency, and were it not for the incredible Dejan Kulusevski, things could be looking a lot worse at the moment.

So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking them to a player who could mirror the Swede's journey to Spurs and be an incredible upgrade on James Maddison as well.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several top-flight teams keen on signing Belgian sensation Charles De Ketelaere.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report claims that Liverpool, West Ham United, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Aston Villa are all interested in the Atatlanta star.

This number of top sides vying for the talented playmaker is undoubtedly far from ideal for the North Londoners, but the good news is that the story claims he is valued at just £40m, which could prove to be a real bargain for someone of his quality.

It could still be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given De Ketelaere's sensational ability, it's one worth pursuing, especially as he could be the next Kulusevski and would be an upgrade on Maddison.

De Ketelaere's comparisons to Kulusevski & Maddison

So, before we look at how De Ketelaere stacks up against Maddison, it's worth examining the reasons his signing would mirror that of Kulusevski's.

The first is that, like the Swedish international, the Atalanta star would be making his way over from Serie A, akin to the Lilywhites star's move from Juventus in 2022.

The second, more meaty point of comparison is that, like the Stockholm-born star, the Belgian gem is an incredibly talented attacker who can, and has, played everywhere from centre-forward to the wings and all over midfield.

Lastly, like Kulusevski, the former Club Brugge prospect is just an incredibly entertaining player to watch and has that increasingly rare ability to get fans off their seats with a sublime piece of skill, unreal goal or pinpoint pass.

With that said, as he's spent most of this season playing in an attacking midfield role, the "wonderful" talent, as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchley, would likely come in as competition for Maddison were to move to N17, and unfortunately for the Englishman, we reckon he'd displace him, and quite easily at that.

For example, in just 23 appearances this season, the 23-year-old "diamond", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored eight goals and provided nine assists, equating to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.35 games for the Bergamo outfit.

In contrast, the former Leicester City star has scored seven goals and provided five assists in as many games, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.91 games.

Finally, Postecoglou would be able to rely on the Brugge-born dynamo more than his current co-vice-captain, as the most games he's missed in a single season through injury is just ten, which is a far cry from the Englishman's spotty fitness record.

Ultimately, while Maddison is an unbelievably gifted footballer, De Ketelaere just looks to be even more so, and considering his valuation isn't outrageous, Daniel Levy and Co should be doing all they can to bring him to N17.

Ange Postecoglou has been in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout for around a year and a half now, and it would be fair to say he's made quite an impact.

It's true that the team are still suffering from the same problems with consistency that they were under the previous managers, but as most fans will likely attest, they are now playing some of the most entertaining football in the country.

Moreover, when they are good, they are really good, as exemplified by the demolitions of Manchester City and Manchester United this season.

Lastly, the Australian has welcomed a whole host of new faces to the club since taking the job, and while some have been unmitigated successes like Micky van de Ven, others still divide opinion, such as Brennan Johnson, who could soon face some new competition.

The curious case of Brennan Johnson

Spurs paid Nottingham Forest around £47.5m for Johnson's services in September of last year, and it would be fair to say he endured a slow start to life in the capital.

In his first 12 league games before Christmas Day, the Welsh winger scored just a single goal and provided three assists, leading to questions over his suitability to play for the club.

However, his form improved in the second half of the campaign, and by the final whistle of the final game, he'd racked up a reasonable enough haul of five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances.

Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, this season began in the same way and following an underwhelming display at home to Arsenal in September, he had to deactivate his Instagram account due to the abuse he was receiving from fans.

However, the Nottingham-born dynamo bounced back in incredible fashion, scoring a late winner against Coventry City and then going on a brilliant run that saw him score six goals in six games.

As things stand, he's scored ten and provided two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.

Now, this is an undeniably impressive return from the winger, but there are still some question marks over his long-term future at the club, as he's failed to score in his last four appearances.

Moreover, when the team are struggling in games like they were against Bournemouth and Rangers, he can look bereft of ideas, so it hasn't been surprising to see the team linked with someone who could be the perfect upgrade on Johnson.

The Premier League star who could replace Brennan Johnson

So, to get straight to the point, the star in question is Brentford ace Bryan Mbeumo, who was supposedly a player of interest for Tottenham in the summer, according to a report from The Boot Room earlier this month.

The story claims that the Bees valued their star attacker at around £50m at the time, although a report from Football Insider claimed the West Londoners would demand a fee in excess of £60m for the player next month.

Now, if Levy and Co were able to get this deal over the line, it could spell the end for Johnson as a starter.

For example, despite playing in a side most would consider to be weaker than Spurs, the Brentford "machine," as dubbed by football producer Michael Johnston, has also scored ten goals and provided two assists, although he has done so from just 18 appearances.

This means he averages a goal involvement every 1.5 games, whereas the Welsh international averages a goal involvement every other game for the North Londoners.

Moreover, when we take a look under the hood and compare their underlying numbers from the league this season, it is once again the 25-year-old who emerges victorious.

For example, the "incredible" Avallon-born star, as dubbed by Brentford boss Thomas Frank, comes out on top in the majority of metrics, such as non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive, key and live passes, goals per shot on target and shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, Johnson has certainly shown some glimpses of real quality since moving to North London, but when comparing their raw output and underlying numbers, it's evident that Mbeumo is the superior winger.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to bring the Cameroonian star to N17 as soon as possible.

As it was last year, Tottenham Hotspur's campaign has been entirely unpredictable this season.

Ange Postecoglou's side go from looking like world-beaters to looking utterly hopeless, sometimes in the space of just a week.

However, following their emphatic 5-0 Premier League win over Southampton on Sunday, things are starting to look up for the Lilywhites.

Moreover, their free-flowing football could soon be even more dangerous as recent reports have linked the club with an incredible centre-forward who could be an instant upgrade on summer signing Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from one Spanish outlet, Tottenham are one of several clubs interested in Inter Milan star Marcus Thuram.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that Liverpool, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Arsenal are all keeping an eye on the French centre-forward.

Unfortunately for Daniel Levy and Co, the competition isn't the only obstacle to getting their man, as the story claims that he'd cost a whopping €85m, which converts to about £70m.

It would be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Thuram's unreal ability, it is one worth pursuing, especially as he'd be an upgrade on Solanke.

How Thuram compares to Solanke

Now, if Spurs are successful in their pursuit of Thuram next year, it seems incredibly unlikely that he'd join the club and be happy to sit on the bench as a backup option.

Therefore, even though he only arrived in the summer himself, Solanke would be in direct competition with him for a place up top in the starting lineup, but who would come out on top between the two forwards?

Well, based on their pure output, the Inter ace comes out ahead, and by quite some way at that.

For example, in just 20 appearances this season, the "world-class" Frenchman, as dubbed by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer, has scored 12 goals and provided six assists, equating to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.11 games.

In contrast, the former Bournemouth star has scored just seven goals and provided four assists in 21 appearances, equating to a decent but significantly less impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.90 games.

Unfortunately for the Lilywhites' new number nine, the one-sided nature of this comparison also extends to the pair's underlying numbers.

For example, the Inter star comes out on top in the majority of relevant metrics, such as non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, key passes and passes into the penalty area, shots and shots on target and goal and shot-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, Solanke is an undeniably talented striker who could go on to have a brilliant career for Spurs, but from practically every angle, Thuram looks to be a clear upgrade.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do all they can to bring the French international to North London as soon as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur are a team who have generally had mixed luck when it comes to making signings.

It feels like for every Micky van de Ven and Dejan Kulusevski they've signed over the years, they've balanced it out with an Emerson Royal or Bryan Gil.

However, one thing the club have become experts at is selling players, be that the mega-money deals Daniel Levy has become known for, like Gareth Bale and Harry Kane, or the smaller-scale, but still impressive sales of players like Steven Bergwijn or Juan Foyth.

In fact, they did it again this summer when they sold a player former manager Mauricio Pochettino was a big fan of for a surprisingly hefty sum.

Spurs' summer sales

Before we get to the player in question, it's worth looking at a couple of Spurs' other sales this summer, starting with Royal.

Yes, the Brazilian full-back, who had become something of a scapegoat in North London, was finally sold this summer, and to the surprise of many, it was Italian giants AC Milan that came in for him, agreeing to pay around £13m for the 25-year-old's services.

Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly to many a Spurs fan, things have not worked out for the Brazilian at the San Siro, and as things stand, he's made 19 appearances, 15 of which have been starts, in which he's failed to score or provide an assist.

A player who's been more successful away from North London this season has been Welsh centre-back Joe Rodon, who joined Leeds United for around £10m, although his transfer was really a part of the deal that saw Archie Gray go the other way.

So far this season, the 27-year-old has made 22 appearances for the Peacocks, scoring one goal and undoubtedly being one of the team's most important players.

However, while both of these sales represent great business for Spurs, they made another, arguably even better sale over the summer.

The Spurs player Poch loved

So, to get straight to the point, the player we are talking about is none other than midfield gem Oliver Skipp.

At one point in time, the academy product looked set for a bright future at Spurs, with Pochettino describing him as "a top player and a top kid" following his first-team debut in 2018, while his next manager, José Mourinho, described him as "phenomenal."

"He’s a proper midfielder, a very talented midfielder and I’m sure he will have a very successful career"

However, as the years progressed, particularly under Ange Postecoglou, it was clear that the young Englishman no longer had a clear path to regular first-team football.

So, during the summer, the club made the somewhat unpopular decision to sell the academy graduate to newly promoted Leicester City for a fee in excess of £20m.

Now, there was an expectation among some fans that the promising midfielder would develop into such a player that the price paid by the Foxes would eventually look comically small, but as things stand, that seems fairly unlikely.

In all competitions, the Welwyn Garden City-born gem has made just 13 appearances, totalling 798 minutes, and has only been on the winning side in two league games and two League Cup games.

Ultimately, there is plenty of time for the former Spurs ace to find his feet in Leicester and show the rest of the country just how good he can be, but as things stand, Levy and Co appear to have struck gold selling him for the price they did.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has named the unseen teenager who's really "excited" him at Spurs, with the South Korean suggesting he is one to watch and a "similar age" to the highly-rated Mikey Moore.

Tottenham return to winning ways with 5-0 victory over Southampton

Following a barren run of one win in eight games across all competitions, the under-pressure Ange Postecoglou sealed what was a convincing and much-needed 5-0 win away to struggling Southampton on Sunday.

All of their goals came in the first half, with James Maddison (2), Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr rounding off a superb attacking display and putting the final nail in manager Russell Martin's coffin - who was sacked by Southampton soon afterwards.

Alongside the goalscorers, there were a few noteworthy performances on display at St. Mary's Stadium, with right-back Djed Spence seriously impressing for Spurs on his first full Premier League start and 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall doing the same.

Postecoglou's squad has been stretched to the bare bones due to injury problems, so the Australian seriously needs his usual fringe players to come in and do a job, with both Spence and Bergvall obliging in solid fashion.

"They were great," said Postecoglou on Bergvall and Spence.

"Lucas is growing all the time, but he's 18. Archie is 18 and how many Premier League clubs are going to start two 18-year-olds in their line-up. Djed has had to bide his time. To be fair, it's the one area of the pitch where we've had cover this year with Archie playing at right-back, so he's had to be patient.

"It's a testament to him and the coaches who have worked with him in training that he could come on today. We needed him for sure, not just to play but to make an impact and he did. Great reward for his patience and perseverance."

Tottenham's lack of options means Postecoglou looks set to turn to younger members of his squad for the foreseeable future, and they now have another teenage sensation to call upon.

The South Korean starlet has bagged 12 goals and five assists in 38 league games for Gangwon across 2024, with Postecoglou now set to benefit from his arrival, even if he still isn't eligible to play until January 1.

Son Heung-min praises Yang min-Hyeok after arrival at Tottenham

As the unseen youngster waits to make his club debut, Son has praised Yang after his arrival at Tottenham, expressing his excitement over the winger's arrival and revealing what supporters can expect from his compatriot.

"He's a similar age to Mikey Moore," said Son to Standard Sport.

"Everyone loves Mikey and when Yang is here I hope everyone loves him like Mikey. He's been fantastic in his first season in the K-League, scored 12 goals and a lot of assists. He's bright. He's not scared.

"He's a very bright player so I'm excited he's coming here and I'll try to help him as much as I can. But we just have to avoid putting pressure on him. The football side is the most important thing for him [to focus on]."

They might not have been the most successful team over the last 15 years, but Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with some ridiculously talented footballers.

For example, before his move to Bayern Munich, Harry Kane was undoubtedly the best striker in the Premier League and formed one of the best-attacking partnerships ever alongside Son Heung-min.

However, years before those two became the superstars they are, another Spurs attacker was the envy of the footballing world: Gareth Bale.

The Welsh legend was a force of nature for the Lilywhites and eventually netted the team a world record £85m, which was infamously spent on seven somewhat underwhelming signings, including one player who was supposedly more skilful than the Champions League winner, but is now struggling in the Greek Super League.

Spurs' not so magnificent seven

Yes, with the money made on Bale's sale, Daniel Levy and Co opted to splash the cash on seven new signings that summer, and while some of them panned out okay, most did not.

For example, while Roberto Soldado and Paulinho arrived with plenty of hype, the former due to his incredible goal record in Spain and the latter because of comparisons to Frank Lampard, neither one achieved much of anything at the club.

Likewise, while none of them were dreadful, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches all left the North Londoners within three years, leaving little to no mark on the club whatsoever.

However, while five of the seven arrivals left arguably as flops, there were two who certainly had more of a positive impact.

The first is Christan Eriksen, who was undoubtedly the most successful of the seven and made 305 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 69 goals and providing 88 assists before leaving to join Inter Milan in January 2020.

The final member of the not-so-magnificent seven wasn't as successful as the Dane, but he remained in North London for longer and certainly made his mark, although comparisons to Bale in the early days look even more ridiculous now that he's struggling in the Greek Super League.

The former Spurs star struggling in Greece

So, with six of the seven players already covered, it should come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is Erik Lamela.

The Argentine ace joined the North Londoners for around £25.8m in late August 2013, and while he wasn't as game-changing as Eriksen was, he was significantly more impactful than the other five players signed that summer.

In fact, to his credit, the Carapachay-born dynamo was the last man standing from the magnificent seven and ended up making 257 appearances for the club before joining Sevilla as part of a swap deal in July 2021.

In those appearances, the 32-year-old scored 37 goals, provided 44 assists and occasionally showed real glimpses of quality, such as his Puskas-winning goal in the North London Derby.

While these moments helped justify the money spent on him, he could never quite live up to the expectations people had of him when he first arrived in N17, especially after club legend Ossie Ardiles proclaimed that he was "more skilled than Bale."

Such comments look even more outrageous today, as after three middling seasons at Sevilla, the 25-capped international joined Greek side AEK Athens, and while he's not been woeful, he hasn't been great either.

In 13 appearances across all competitions, the former Spurs star has failed to score a single goal and has just three assists to his name, which is not the sort of output you would expect from someone of his ability.

Ultimately, despite being a decent servant to the club, Lamela could never live up to the expectations people had of him at Spurs, and it looks like that may be happening to him again, only this time in Greece.

Unsurprisingly, this season has been another one full of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou has been able to get the team to look sublime in some games but utterly hopeless in others.

The Australian has turned the team into one of the most entertaining in the country, but to reach the next level and cut out the inconsistencies, he'll need Daniel Levy and Co to back him in the upcoming transfer windows, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Fortunately, it appears the club are now willing to clear out the deadwood, as recent reports suggest one of Postecoglou's most frustrating players could be axed in 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Tottenham Hotspur expert John Wenham, Spurs would be willing to take a big hit to sell Yves Bissouma next year.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Wenham said, "I think at this point they would be prepared to accept around £16million," representing a £9m loss on the £25m the club paid for him under the management of Antonio Conte.

This opinion comes off the back of a report from football.london's Alasdair Gold earlier this month, in which the respected journalist also proclaimed a belief that the club are now more than willing to sell the Mali international next year.

Overall, selling the former Brighton & Hove Albion star for a loss would confirm that signing him was a mistake in the first place, but given his performances for the club, cutting their losses would be the smart thing to do for Levy and Co.

Why Spurs should sell Bissouma

So, the very first thing to say is that, on his day, Bissouma can be an incredibly effective midfielder, both in attack and defence, but therein lies the first reason he should be sold; it's rarely his day.

Despite this now being his third season in North London, the former Brighton ace has failed to make himself an integral member of the first team, as just when it looks like he might be set for an extended run of good form, he goes and makes a mistake.

For example, despite putting in some impressive displays this season, like against Manchester City in the League Cup, the Issia-born star has given Postecoglou reasons to doubt him, thanks to his woeful performances against Chelsea and Rangers, for which Gold gave him a 3/10 and 4/10 match rating, respectively.

On top of putting in lacklustre showings, the "absolutely ridiculous" midfielder, as dubbed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, has also picked up his fair share of suspensions.

For example, he missed the win over Southampton for picking up too many yellow cards and, last season, he earned a second yellow for diving against Luton Town and a straight red for a nasty foul away to Nottingham Forest.

Lastly, since joining the Lilywhites, he has missed 23 games for club and country through injury, meaning his fitness is almost as unreliable as he is on the pitch.

Ultimately, Bissouma is a talented player, but he's clearly too inconsistent to help take Spurs forwards, so even though they'll likely make a loss, it would make sense for Levy and Co to cut their losses and sell him as soon as possible.

Thanks to their sensational Premier League victory over Southampton on Sunday evening, the feeling around Tottenham Hotspur is a little more positive than it was a week ago.

It was practically the complete performance from Ange Postecoglou's side; five goals were scored, none conceded, and they were able to coast through the second half without exerting too much effort.

The likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr all looked back to their brilliant best, and club captain Son Heung-min rolled back the years.

However, while he was excellent, the club need to start looking for his replacement, and the good news is, they might have already found him in a player compared to Cole Palmer, of all people.

Why Spurs need a Son replacement

So, the first thing to say is that, over the last nine years or so, few players have had even close to Son's impact on English football.

The South Korean superstar is undoubtedly a Tottenham great, and you'd be hard-pressed to find many people who'd deny him being a Premier League great as well.

For example, in just 316 appearances in the competition, the Chuncheon-born dynamo has scored 125 goals and provided 68 assists, equating to a fantastic average of a goal involvement every 1.63 games.

However, as spectacular as the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has been for the Lilywhites, time comes for us all, and at 32 years old, his ability to impact games from out wide is beginning to wane.

That isn't a slight on him either, as research carried out by The Athletic found that the age at which wide players peak is 26, so there can be no doubt that while he's still capable of a brilliant performance here and there, he cannot be relied upon to perform week-in-week-out.

Moreover, this season has seen him fade out of games more than ever, making it clear that he cannot be a long-term option as Postecoglou looks to build a title-winning team over the next few years.

The good news is that reports have linked the club with someone who'd be an ideal replacement for Son, someone who's been compared to Palmer.

The dream Son replacement

To get straight to the point, the player in question is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who, according to a report late last week from GIVEMESPORT, is one of several players being looked at by the club.

There is no mention of a price in the story, but other reports from this month have claimed that he could be available for as little as £25m due to the French side's financial issues.

With that said, before we look at his numbers from this season, let's examine this comparison to Chelsea's Palmer and where it comes from.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the second most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots on target, goal-creating actions and passing accuracy, all per 90.

However, it's not just the comparison to the Blues' new superstar that makes the 21-year-old such an exciting candidate to replace Son; he's also putting up impressive numbers this season.

For example, in 17 appearances, the incredible youngster, who respected analyst Ben Mattinson described as having "Ballon d'Or potential," has scored five goals and provided seven assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.41 games.

Ultimately, Spurs will need to sign someone genuinely spectacular to replace the output Son has provided them over the years, and while it would represent something of a gamble, Cherki looks like he has the potential to become that player.

The topsy-turvey nature of Tottenham Hotspur's season continued yesterday evening.

Following their disappointing Europa League draw against Rangers on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou's side bounced back with an emphatic 5-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League.

The North Londoners scored within the first minute and were three up within a quarter of an hour, showing the rest of the league just how good they can be when things go their way.

Moreover, one of the team's best players at St Mary's may have just given the club an excuse to ship off one of their recent underperformers for a colossal sum.

Spurs' surprise starter

So, the player in question, who shone at St Marys, is English right-back Djed Spence.

The former Middlesbrough gem first joined Spurs in the summer of 2022 for around £20m, but over the next couple of years, was sent on loan to the Championship, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

At one point this season, it looked like the 24-year-old's time in N17 was running out as he wasn't registered in the club's Europa League squad, but after some cameo appearances, he finally made his first start of the campaign against the Saints and more than took his opportunity.

The "swashbuckling" full-back, as dubbed by Ian Wright, was solid in defence and decisive in attack, providing the assist for James Maddison's opener and playing his part in the club's second and fifth goals as well.

Unsurprisingly, the 6 foot ace impressed the watching press, with Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarding him an 8/10 match rating at full-time and describing his display as 'spectacular.'

Spence was so brilliant that he may well have just given the club an excuse to sell one of his rivals, who's been linked with an expensive exit for some time now.

The Spurs ace Ange could sell

Now, given the position Spence started in yesterday, it should come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is Pedro Porro.

The Spanish full-back joined the club for around £40m under the stewardship of former manager Antonio Conte but remained the first choice in his position following the arrival of Postecoglou, and given his output, it's easy to understand why.

For example, in 74 appearances for the club to date, the 25-year-old has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists, which equates to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.36 games.

Unsurprisingly, this attacking skill has seen the former Sporting CP star linked to some of the most successful clubs around, such as Spanish behemoths Real Madrid and the reigning champions of England, Manchester City.

However, according to reports from October of this year, the Lilywhites value the right-back at a mammoth £80m, which may well be a price they would be even happier to sell at following Spence's excellent display yesterday evening.

Moreover, for as undeniably brilliant as the "titanic" full-back is going forward, dubbed by The Athletic's former Spurs correspondent Charlie Eccleshare, he's caused Postecoglou some problems in defence this season.

For example, you only have to look back at Thursday night's draw, and it was his runner who scored Rangers' goal, which the manager admonished him for on the pitch at full-time.

Ultimately, while Porro is an incredible talent, he has his weaknesses, and with Spence seemingly ready to step in, it might be a smart idea for Daniel Levy and Co to try and get £80m for him next year.