Ange Postecoglou insists that Tottenham’s “priority” in the January transfer window is to sign a new centre-back. Spurs’ lack of depth at the heart of their backline has been exposed following injuries to Micky van de Ven, Eric Dier and Ashley Phillips in recent weeks.
Postecoglou admits letting Davinson Sanchez go in the summer was a big mistake given their obvious shortcomings at centre-half. The Colombian star joined Galatasaray on September 4, three days after the English transfer window slammed shut.
His departure has led to left-back Ben Davies being deployed as a make-shift centre-back amid injury woes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“When you think about it,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports, “we let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn’t get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine.
“But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier’s had some issues as well, we don’t have another centre-back. Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it’s fair to say that we can’t run the risk of that happening again, so that’s obviously a priority for us in January.
“But again, we’ve got to get the right person. It’s not just about bringing another body in, it’s about getting the right one in and hopefully that’ll happen.”
Anyone who does join the club in the New Year must fit the bill of a ‘young hungry player’.”That’s what we’re trying to build at the moment,” Postecoglou added.
“Even Vic [Guglielmo Vicario], he’s only 26 for a goalkeeper and the only one we’ve kind of signed who isn’t in that bracket but I still think he’s got the best in front of him is Madders [James Maddison], but all the rest are all young.
“Guys like Pape Sarr, Destiny [Udogie], Pedro [Porro] and [Dejan] Kulusevski – who both [Porro and Kulusevski] became permanent [in the summer] – they’re all in their early 20s, so we’re in the first phase of building something.
“I think when you’ve got young guys and you start building something and they grow together, I think it gives you more chance of having sustained success down the road.”
