Everton are attempting to block Tottenham’s move for Ben Godfrey in January by offering the 25-year-old centre-back a new contract at Goodison Park.
Spurs are in desperate need of another centre-half with reinforcements wearing thin following a string of injuries to their backline. Ashley Phillips and Micky van de Ven have both been sidelined in recent weeks while the sale of Davinson Sanchez to Galatasaray following the closure of the summer transfer window in England has backfired.
Cristian Romero has also been picking up his fair share of suspensions which has forced Ange Postecoglou into deploying full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal at centre-back.
Among those on Spurs’ shortlist is Godfrey, who has fallen out of favour at Everton since the arrival of Sean Dyche last season. Godfrey will soon enter the final 18 months of his contract so will be able to be picked up at a cut price by potential suitors.
The two-cap England international has been restricted to just three Premier League appearances this season. However, according to TeamTalk, the Toffees have entered into talks over a new contract.
They will hope that stops Tottenham from rising the player away even though Jarrad Branthwaite has overtaken him in the pecking order as the preferred partner for James Tarkowski at the back.
“When you think about it we let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports when discussing the worrying situation at the heart of his Spurs defence. “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.”
