Transfer

Tottenham Hotspur target defensive trio on January shortlist as Ange Postecoglou prioritises young players

Spurs are interested in the defensive trio of Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo; north London club also keen on Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior and Al Ittihad forward Jota

Thursday 7 December 2023 08:29, UK

Tottenham will concentrate on signing top young talent in the January transfer window as Ange Postecoglou looks to develop his plans for a squad built in his image.

Spurs want to add depth to the group and are looking at three main positions to strengthen, starting with a centre back and then potentially a left winger and central midfielder - and there is a preference for players under the age of 24.

A centre back is the priority, with Postecoglou having recently counted the cost of long-term injury to Micky van de Ven and suspension to Cristian Romeo, deploying two full backs in Ben Daves and Emerson Royal in their place.

Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi are understood to be high on their target list, while Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo is another they really admire - but it will not be easy to prise these players away from their clubs midway through the season.

Branthwaite is integral to Eveton's bid for safety under Sean Dyche, while Guehi and Todibo are also fundamental to their sides, especially the latter as Nice launch a surprise Ligue 1 title bid this season.

Sky Sports News reported last month that Spurs had cooled their interest in Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, who they considered a move for on deadline day in the summer, due to his injury problems - and the same can be said for another summer target in Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly.

Among the wingers Spurs are looking closely at is Juventus's Samuel Iling-Junior; an England U21 international who moved to Italy from Chelsea's academy in 2020 and is represented by the same agency - CAA Base - as Postecoglou, Heung-Min Son and James Maddison.

However, Spurs do not have a huge transfer kitty at their disposal without selling players first and with centre back the priority, they may end up looking into loan options such as the former Celtic winger Jota, currently playing at Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Bringing in a central midfielder as a third January addition would cap off their ideal scenario, but this is also dependent on outgoings.

Eric Dier will be allowed to leave for a fee, having been overlooked for Royal at centre back, while Hugo Lloris is another player who can go and Spurs may also allow Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to depart for a suitable offer and a replacement assured.