Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is personally considering whether to pursue an ex-Man City defender in January after being told that the player could be available for a reasonable fee in the winter.
Ange Postecoglou short of centre-backs amid Spurs injury crisis
Postecoglou faces the very distinct possibility of being without all of his first-team centre-backs as things stand, with Radu Dragusin sustaining ankle damage in their last outing against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
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Depending on a late fitness test before their clash with Wolves on Sunday, the 59-year-old may not have Dragusin to call upon, with injuries to Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies leaving Postecoglou bereft of natural centre-halves.
The emergence of Archie Gray as a makeshift option in that position has seriously helped to plug the necessary gaps, but it is currently unclear as to how Postecoglou plans to cope without the Englishman’s partner if Dragusin is indeed out for an extended period.
|
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers (home) |
December 29 |
|
Newcastle United (home) |
January 4 |
|
Arsenal (away) |
January 15 |
|
Everton (away) |
January 19 |
|
Leicester City (home) |
January 26 |
Naturally, with the January transfer window set to open in a matter of days, Tottenham have been linked with a host of new centre-backs.
RC Lens starlet Abdukodir Khusanov is reliably believed to be a Spurs transfer target heading into the new year, while other reports have linked Leeds United star Pascal Struijk, Feyenoord stalwart David Hancko, PSG’s Milan Skriniar, Getafe’s Omar Alderete and Inter sensation Yann Bisseck as other centre-backs who could join Tottenham in January.
By his own admission, Postecoglou has held numerous recruitment meetings with technical director Johan Lange in the build-up to next month, and the Australian says they’re “working hard” on reinforcing their options.
“There’s certainly a need to reinforce if we can,” said Postecoglou on January signings at Tottenham.
“Everyone knows January’s not an easy time to do that. But the club’s working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we’ve got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.”
Ange Postecoglou personally considering move for Ko Itakura
According to GiveMeSport, Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Ko Itakura is a mid-season option for Spurs.
The Japan international’s contract expires in 18 months, which could hand them an opportunity to agree a move for a doable price, and Postecoglou is informed of this situation.
GMS writes that Postecoglou has been made aware that Tottenham could strike a “cut-price” January deal for Itakura, and the former Celtic boss is personally contemplating whether to reignite a pursuit for the Bundesliga centre-back after previously holding an interest.
The 27-year-old was on Man City’s books before the Sky Blues sold him to Monchengladbach in the summer of 2022, where he has gone on to become a pivotal figurehead at the heart of their backline.
Itakura has started all of their German top-flight games this season, helping Mönchengladbach to boast one of the finest defensive records in the division.
