As we approach the January transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur manager, Ange Postecoglou, has shed light on the club's plans and strategies. Despite being over a month away from the transfer period, Spurs have already begun planning for potential signings to bolster their squad.
Tottenham is currently grappling with an injury crisis that has exposed significant weaknesses in their squad depth. The absence of key players due to injuries has forced Postecoglou to name several academy youngsters on the bench against AS Roma recently.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that many of Spurs' injured players are not expected back anytime soon. This presents a major challenge for Tottenham as they navigate through an extremely busy period of the season.
Preparing for January transfer window
Given these circumstances, many fans believe that it is crucial for Spurs to reinforce their squad in multiple areas come January. This would provide Postecoglou with a better chance of guiding his team towards silverware this season.
Postecoglou and Johan Lange, Tottenham’s technical director, have confirmed they've started planning for this upcoming transfer window. However, he also admitted that mid-season signings can be quite complex due to various factors such as player availability and negotiation difficulties.
In an interview recently when asked about potential transfers in January, Postecoglou stated:
Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur manager, said:
“We’re always planning, planning for every scenario. A lot of it will depend on where we are as a squad at that time. Between now and then, it is only really Romero and Van de Ven who will be back in that time frame, but Richy will hopefully be back in the New Year and we will just assess where we are squad-wise.
“Certainly, with Johan [Lange] I’ve already had a number of meetings for a strategy in January. I think last year we did a little bit of business which ended up helping us, but nothing concrete now because January is always tricky and it depends on where we are squad-wise.”
Need for larger squads
Ange Postecoglou also highlighted another important aspect of modern football - teams now require larger squads than before due to increasing fixture congestion. He suggested that footballers are getting overloaded which leads not only to more injuries but also diminishes the quality of play overall.
When asked if teams need bigger squads rather than streamlined ones nowadays given these challenges, he responded:
Ange Postecoglou added:
“I think so and it is not just the fixtures, it is the attrition rate, we’ve got a lot of injuries, but a lot of clubs have. I think we’ve been talking about it for a while but at some point, it is going to come home to roost for all the powers that be because players are getting overloaded.
“There is no doubt about that, there is too much evidence. You’re either going to get a diminished product with the best players not out there or clubs will have to carry bigger squads to cater for the demands of it.”
Tottenham's January transfer plans are already underway with a focus on strengthening their squad to cope with the demanding fixture list and injury crisis. The club is aware of the challenges that mid-season signings present but remains committed to improving their team. As Postecoglou suggests, larger squads may be the new norm in football as teams strive to maintain quality while managing player workload effectively.
