The first priority for Spurs in the new year was undoubtedly going to be to buy a new central defender, especially after they allowed Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga go late in the summer transfer window and sold Davinson Sanchez without bringing in a qualified replacement.
Although Ashley Phillips was recruited from Blackburn, Postecoglou has turned to Eric Dier and Ben Davies in times of need because they are currently considered a work in progress.
With ten games played, Tottenham led the Premier League, and their central defensive duo of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven was maybe the best of the season. It all seemed almost too good to be true.
But on Mauricio Pochettino’s return to north London with his Chelsea team, everything fell apart. Romero was sent off and subsequently banned for three games, and shortly before the 4-1 defeat, the excellent Van de Ven tore his hamstring.
Romero will still be suspended for Sunday’s match against Aston Villa and the subsequent trip to Manchester City one week from now. The Dutchman is not anticipated to return until at least the middle of January.
The loss of those two was deeply felt.
Despite the defeat, Dier performed admirably and was chosen man-of-the-match; nonetheless, he found it difficult to keep up with the speed and movement of the Wolves attackers, which is why Postecoglou has been hesitant to use him in the action since the Chelsea fiasco.
As a result, the Australian is looking to add a capable third center-back to the team and seems to have narrowed down his options to three.
In fact, as he attempts to make an impression in January, the Daily Mail claims that the Spurs manager is a huge fan of both Marc Guehi and Jarrad Branthwaite.
The outstanding player for Crystal Palace, Guehi, has now solidified his place in Gareth Southgate’s England team. During the most recent international break, he started both of their Euro 2024 qualifying matches.