Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has teased the possibility of more defensive swoops “in the coming days”, coming after their deal for Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven.
Who will Spurs sign?
Alongside the already-confirmed new arrivals, namely goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defender Ashley Phillips, centre-back Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon, Spurs have apparently sealed another.
Alejo Veliz, who will sign from Argentine side Rosario Central, is undergoing medical tests and could be unveiled as a new Tottenham player “later this week” (Fabrizio Romano).
However, the north Londoners aren’t believed to be done there, as reports have previously suggested that they’re very keen to bring in another star centre-half.
Reliable media sources, like reporter Alasdair Gold, have said as much as links continue to surround a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba.
“The north London club are looking to sign two new senior centre-backs this summer,” wrote Gold for football.london last month.
“It has not been ruled out that they could yet move for both players [Van de ven and Tapsoba] depending on departures from Postecoglou’s squad.
“Tottenham will listen to offers for Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Tanganga this summer, while Eric Dier is keen to remain at the club.”
Tapsoba is a curious case in particular as some sections of the press have claimed that Tottenham are ready to offer a long-term contract, in order to convince the Burkina Faso international to join.
While Postecoglou has refused to comment on the African in particular, but the Spurs head coach has now teased the possibility of another defensive signing soon, and says Tottenham need to do so.
The 57-year-old, speaking to media, said he wants defenders who can play in an aggressive formation and defend well behind them.
“It’s not done yet,” said Postecoglou on van de Ven’s signing.
“We need bolstering in that central defensive area. We need defenders who can work in an aggressive formation, defend well & behind them. We’ll be looking to bring in a couple in that area in the coming days.”
Which defender should Tottenham sign?
Tapsoba, we believe, stands out as the key candidate to reinforce Postecoglou’s backline further.
The 24-year-old is growing his reputation in the Bundesliga and was an indispensable member of Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen starting eleven last term.
Indeed, no other Leverkusen outfielder played more German top flight minutes than Tapsoba, highlighting how truly rated he is by Alonso (WhoScored).
He also ranked among their best for clearances made per 90, and at international level, Tapsoba is considered a “fundamental” player for his country.
Journalist Ben McAleer, commenting on Spurs’ links to the player recently, hailed the defender as a potentially perfect player for Postecoglou.
“Postecoglou wants his centre-backs to play the ball out from defence, so Tapsoba would be a fine addition to the squad,” wrote McAleer in The Guardian.
“He ranked fifth for passes per game (76.3) in the Europa League last season, and returned a solid pass success rate of 87.2%. What’s more, Tapsoba ranked second for forward passes (879) in the Bundesliga last season, looking to set his side on the front foot where possible.”
