Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou have already identified their priority January target as they look to push their way up the Premier League table, according to a fresh report.
Tottenham enjoying strange season
Tottenham’s season has been a curious one so far. The club have lost four of their opening ten games, with a particularly poor defeat coming against Crystal Palace, but in the last seven days they have knocked Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup before coming from 1-0 down to thrash Aston Villa 4-1, both in front of 60,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Their results leave them seventh in the top flight, above Brighton on goal difference and just two points behind north London rivals Arsenal and Sunday’s opponents Aston Villa.
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They are also in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, while they have won each of their opening three Europa League games to sit second behind Lazio. After their most recent victory, Ange Postecoglou admitted he was happy with how his side had gone through the gears against Villa, especially in the second half.
“Villa are a good side. The first half was a bit of an arm wrestle. They have a consistent level of performance. We have other gears in us which we showed in the second half.
“Seven days is a long time in football. Seven days ago I was a grumpy old so and so. We have to stay true to the course we’re on. We made sure not to feel sorry for ourselves and back to the team we want to be.”
However, in a bid to stay competitive across all three competitions and scoop some long overdue silverware, Tottenham are already looking towards January.
Tottenham identify January priority
That comes according to Football Insider, who report that Spurs have made signing a new midfielder a priority this January as they look to bolster their depth. In fact, the report even claims club chiefs are already “working on a deal”.
Dejan Kulusevski has been used as a central midfielder for much of the season to date, and has been excellent in his new role. However, there are concerns over the form of James Maddison, who was taken off at half-time against West Ham and left on the bench for both of their recent wins over Manchester City and Aston Villa.
On the other hand, all of Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are considered more defensively minded midfielders, while injuries and rotation has seen Postecoglou fail to settle on a preferred midfield trio as he looks to balance attack and defence.
Tottenham’s current midfield options
Player
PL Starts in 2024/25
Dejan Kulusevski
9
James Maddison
9
Rodrigo Bentancur
6
Pape Sarr
3
Yves Bissouma
4
Archie Gray
0
Lucas Bergvall
0
And according to the report, Spurs and Postecoglou are “keen to bolster the position”. It is added that Netherlands star Tijjani Reijnders is among the players that they have considered, but that a January deal for him is “highly unlikely”.
Spurs do have other options in midfield, with young duo Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall having arrived over the summer. However, it is claimed that the pair are “considered too inexperienced to step into the pressure of a starting midfield spot”.
