Tottenham are said to be targeting a “massive” centre-back this January as Spurs chiefs scour the market for new options.
Postecoglou’s absentee issues at Spurs
Ange Postecoglou was absolutely loving life at his new club before their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea just over a week ago. Before facing off against Mauricio Pochettino’s side in north London, Spurs were on a very impressive 10-game unbeaten league run; winning the vast majority of them and even climbing to the top of the Premier League table at one point.
However, injuries to star players Micky van de Ven and James Maddison against Chelsea have seemingly brought Postecoglou right back down to Earth.
The Australian isn’t helped by suspensions for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie either. In the quartet’s absence, Spurs have lost two games on the bounce with their latest 2-1 defeat to Wolves coming in very dramatic circumstances.
Spurs were clinging on to a 1-0 lead before last-gasp strikes from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina thwarted what would’ve been an excellent result away from home, and with a severely depleted squad.
Spurs draw up transfer shortlist
The north Londoners are now reportedly prioritising the addition of a new left-footed central defender to ease the burden on van de Ven and Romero when they return. Both are pivotal to Postecoglou’s high defensive line, so when they’re unavailable, Spurs suffer as a result.
Tottenham are targeting Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly as a pacey option for the high line, while Everton’s Ben Godfrey is another candidate to shore up Spurs’ defensive depth.
Uruguay defender Sebastian Caceres has been linked with a move to Tottenham too, with some reports suggesting that an offer has even already gone in for the South American.
Now, as per journalist Ryan Taylor of The Daily Express, it is believed Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi may be “another name” on sporting director Johan Lange’s list.
Guehi among “leading” Spurs centre-back targets
According to Taylor, speaking on the Spurs Chat podcast, Guehi is a “leading” Tottenham centre-back target. The Englishman, who’s been called “massive” for his physically imposing figure by Club Brugge keeper Josef Bursik, finds himself among Spurs’ top defensive targets heading into the January window. However, it is believed that Palace, unsurprisingly, will demand an “excessive” marquee figure for their star defender.
“Another name that you haven’t mentioned is Marc Guehi. From what I understand he is one of the leading centre-back targets,” said Taylor.
“It’s pretty obvious that Palace are not going to give him up without demanding an excessive fee, however, he’s really appreciated by Spurs. Obviously, Johan Lange has just come in now, but I think Guehi’s a player that’s been tracked by Tottenham for some time now.
“He was really appreciated by Paratici, who is of course still involved with the club on a consultancy basis I believe. So, a lot of their targets are being carried over from previous windows, particularly in the summer when Ange wanted to bring in a second centre-back.”
The 23-year-old has started 11 league matches under Roy Hodgson; standing out as an imperious figurehead at the back yet again.
