Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou could be set to enact a defensive restructuring job at Hotspur Way this summer.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou will be ‘confident’ that he can add ‘two more defenders of very high quality’ to his squad this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Which defenders could Tottenham target this summer?
Spurs have been dealt a crushing blow in their attempts to acquire Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba this summer by the Bundesliga side’s chief Simon Rolfes, who has seemingly ruled out the notion of the Burkina Faso star joining Tottenham, cited by The Evening Standard.
Rolfes stated in a recent interview when asked if Tapsoba was available: “No, not under normal circumstances! It is clear that at some point there are always limits. But Edmond is a very important player. He is one of the top players of our team, without question. He still has a long contract. Therefore, there is no reason for us to think about handing him over.”
Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven is also a target for Spurs; however, the Dutchman, alongside Tapsoba, is said to be at the center of an impasse over a valuation gap that has seen Spurs fail to find an agreement on a transfer fee for either player so far, according to CaughtOffside.
Other potential defensive reinforcements have been identified if neither Tapsoba nor Van de Ven end up in N17, including Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo, former Tottenham loanee Clement Lenglet and Crystal Palace duo Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.
Tottenham is also in the process of trying to conclude a deal to bring Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this off-season for a base fee of £5 million plus £4.5 million in add-ons, as per The Athletic.
Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer insider Jones expects that Postecoglou will effectively strengthen his backline before the new Premier League season commences.
Jones told FFC: “It’s not ideal to be this close to the new season and still have no new center back through the door because, at the moment, Spurs really do look like they might be a bit fragile in defense. But it will happen. It needs to change but as far as I am aware, Ange has been assured that he will have top-drawer players coming into the club in that position. By the end of the window, he will have two more defenders of very high quality to pick from; that’s What I am hearing. Tottenham are making sure they maintain talks with key targets in that sense and are confident the squad will be in a good place by the time the window closes.”
Who else could Tottenham Hotspur target this summer?
According to The Independent, Tottenham could turn their attention to Flamengo striker Pedro in the event that the Lilywhites sell Harry Kane this summer.
Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has taken to Twitter X to reveal that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani could also be targeted as a potential Kane replacement, stating: “EXCL. Randal Kolo Muani to be the priority target striker for Harry Kane’s replacement at Tottenham! Interest’s huge and talks on the player’s side have just started. I understand this deal could happen as ENIC Group gave the green light to Daniel Levy for a sale of Harry Kane. It’s an 80M€ deal. Eintracht Frankfurt has already discussed with clubs before. Not yet from the Spurs. The French striker’s keen on the move. Wait & See”
90min transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey has confirmed that Tottenham has held talks with Chelsea over midfielder Conor Gallagher alongside West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion. However, the Blues are demanding a fee of £50 million for the England international.
In the coming weeks, we will find out more about where Postecoglou’s transfer priorities lie as he looks to get his squad up to speed to tackle 2023/24 head-on.
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