Tottenham Hotspur have suffered some brutal injury luck in recent weeks and now Ange Postecoglou looks to have initiated contact with a talented new target ahead of the January window.
Tottenham Hotspur’s injuries…
Like a lot of sides in the Premier League, Tottenham have been negatively affected by yet another busy schedule involving their playing staff, which has led to Postecoglou’s squad being stretched to the limit as the Australian tries to work around several absences across the board.
James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky Van de Ven, Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, Ryan Sessegnon and Eric Dier are all sidelined at the moment, leaving the Lilywhites without a clutch of their key players as the festive period ramps up.
Talismanic figure Son Heung-min limped off in Spurs’ 2-1 defeat against West Ham United on Thursday; however, Postecoglou and company could be keen to ensure the South Korea international is fit to play a crucial role for his current employers, who are embroiled in a race for Champions League qualification.
Related
Tottenham board “will now consider” selling star with “huge money on offer”
There’s been a change of heart.
Nevertheless, the January window will likely come at a good time in N17 and afford the north Londoners a valuable opportunity to ensure they retain sufficient cover in several key positions. According to Sky Sports, former Celtic boss Postecoglou has reportedly drawn up a three-man shortlist come the New Year and is seeking a central defender, left winger and central midfielder to bolster the ranks at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a preference for any mid-season arrivals to be under the age of 24.
Now, one target who fits that brief has now come to light, and his current club has been contacted by Spurs to inform them of interest in his services, according to a report.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham have made contact over a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi by registering their interest, with the centre-back on the radar in N17 as a potential defensive reinforcement.
Marc Guehi stats in 2023/24 – Premier League (Sofascore) | |
Clean sheets | 4 |
Successful challenges per game | 1.3 |
Balls recovered per game | 5.1 |
Clearances per game | 4.5 |
Manchester United are also keen on the England international; however, Crystal Palace will demand a fee in the region of £60 million before considering any sale. The report also states that the Red Devils would be willing to offer £45 million for the 23-year-old, though it is unclear the financial ballpark that Spurs would be willing to commit to paying for the former Chelsea star.
This campaign, Guehi has been a key player for the Eagles despite their mixed fortunes in the English top flight, making 17 appearances in all competitions (Guehi statistics – Transfermarkt).
His physical composition has also led to praise from his former England Under-21 teammate Josef Bursik, who labelled the defender as an “absolute tank” back in 2021, as per YouTube cited via The Chelsea Chronicle. Tottenham are in need of a new central defender in January, and Guehi could be an ideal solution to recent injury issues that have dogged the spine of their backline in 2023/24, making this one to watch.
