‘Nothing magical’ will happen in January transfer window for Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou

LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur’s demanding style of play has taken its toll on their players and although they need a stronger squad to tackle the rigours of the English Premier League, there may not be much transfer business in January, said manager Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs began the season in sublime form, going 10 matches unbeaten to top the league, but five defeats coupled with injuries have seen them fall to fifth at the halfway stage of the season – six points behind leaders Liverpool (42).

James Maddison, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven, Ryan Sessegnon and Manor Solomon are all out injured while Ivan Perisic is sidelined for the rest of the season.

Postecoglou’s depleted side crashed to a 4-2 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion – having trailed 4-0 – on Dec 28 and will face in-form Bournemouth at home on Dec 31.

While most players are set to return to action in the next few weeks, the Spurs boss does not expect reinforcements when the transfer window opens, even though they have been linked with Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo and that he has urged the club to sign a centre-back.

In addition, long-serving goalkeeper and former captain Hugo Lloris could also leave.

“The transfer window? Nothing magical is going to happen in the window. What we need to do is keep building,” Postecoglou said on Dec 29 ahead of the Bournemouth game.

“We’ve had one window with this team to change it around and to do things differently. The fact we’re in the position we are is a credit to the players. Throughout all the challenges we’ve had, we keep ploughing forward.

“We’ll see what we can do in January, but ultimately it’s about building a side to get us where we want to get to.”

After the clash with Bournemouth, he will also lose Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Son Heung-min in January due to the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup respectively.

Although Postecoglou might not get his wish in January, the Australian is still hopeful for a stronger squad in the near future, especially as he sticks to his aggressive and fast attacking style of play.

“It has tested the limits of our ability to play the football we want in the context of the injuries we have,” he added. “It would be unfair to judge some players. The way we play takes a hefty physical toll compared to how other clubs play. For us to sustain it, we need a strong squad and we’re nowhere near that at the moment.

“But we’re still at the beginning, we want to compete. We’ve got ourselves into the position where we can compete. That’s what we need to keep pushing forward for.”

On facing Bournemouth, who have won six of their previous seven league matches including the last four, Postecoglou added that “every game is tough” and “every week is a challenge” no matter the form of the opponents. REUTERS, AFP