Tottenham could potentially be on the hunt for a new midfielder in the January transfer window as Ange Postecoglou is set to be without a couple of his players
Active in the summer transfer market as a much-needed squad refresh took place, Tottenham fans will be hoping for more of the same in January. In a very promising position in the Premier League table at present as they currently lead the way, a couple of signings could potentially make all the difference come May.
Following their failure to add another centre-back to the squad before the closure of the summer transfer window, Spurs may well be looking for a new signing who can challenge Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for a spot in the first team. A new attacker could also be required, especially with Ivan Perisic out for the vast majority of the season through injury, Manor Solomon’s absence due to a knee issue for three to four months and Son Heung-min’s participation in the Asian Cup at the turn of the year.
Tottenham will also be missing Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma at the same time as Son as the Africa Cup of Nations is also due to be played in the first month of the year. The absence of the duo will no doubt see Tottenham mentioned in regards to signing a new midfielder.
That could become a transfer must if the club are to sanction a January exit for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Looking like he could possibly depart in the summer amid links with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Fulham, the Dane stayed put but his lack of consistent game time may now result in him seriously pushing for an exit in the winter market.
This week confirming the appointment of Johan Lange as the club’s new technical director, the Dane, who starts his position on November 1, will have a big part to play in Tottenham’s transfer activity going forward. The 43-year-old will have responsibility for recruitment, analytics and talent identification across Tottenham’s senior and academy teams.
Holding a similar role at Aston Villa as sporting director for three years before becoming Global Director of Football Development and International Academies this summer, Lange will bring a vast knowledge of European football to the club. The former FC Copenhagen assistant boss has a key role to play in Spurs’ future, starting with the January transfer market.
If Tottenham are to be on the hunt for a new midfielder as soon as the market reopens for business, one deal that could be extremely hard for Lange to pull off for Postecoglou is the signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea. Tipped to depart Stamford Bridge in the summer with Spurs keen on his services as he has all the necessary qualities to be a major success under Postecoglou, there was even a possibility that he could make the move across the capital in the final few hours of the transfer window.
A move never progressed, though, with Hojbjerg remaining put at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which ultimately led to Gallagher staying with Chelsea. Since all those question marks over a Chelsea exit as part of Mauricio Pochettino reshaping his Blues squad, the England international has become a key player for his new boss.
Gallagher has started all eight of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season, playing the full 90 minutes in all but two of their fixtures. Captaining the side in their Carabao Cup second-round win over Wimbledon at the end of August, the 23-year-old has donned the armband in the team’s last four Premier League games with Reece James and Ben Chilwell absent.
That clearly shows how highly he is thought of by Pochettino and that a January exit would now be a shock whereas three or four months ago it looked like a real possibility. In an interview with Chelsea’s official website, the former Spurs boss waxed lyrical about Gallagher and stated that he and his coaching staff are “so happy with him”.
“Conor is a player who can run a lot and this is massive,” he explained. “He is a great professional and he can play in different positions as a No.8, No.10 or a No.6. He is box-to-box, he can run and can finish and assist, like he did for Raheem Sterling [against Burnley]. We are so happy with him.”
That’s not the only praise that has come Gallagher’s way of late. Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, who was in charge of the Blues at the end of last campaign following Graham Potter’s dismissal, opened up on the midfielder after his performance in the 2-0 win at Fulham and explained why he rates him so highly.
