Tottenham Hotspur 'to target new centre-back, midfielder in January'

Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly be active during the January transfer window as they look to sign a new centre-back and central midfielder.

In the four months since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have been transformed from a team that finished eighth in 2022-23 to one that currently tops the Premier League standings.

The Greek-Australian's side have accumulated a total of 26 points from their opening 10 matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding just the nine.

However, Spurs now face a run of fixtures where they play Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Ham United and Newcastle United in succession.

While Postecoglou will be delighted with their start to the season, that run of matches will put the North Londoners under pressure as they bid to remain in the top four.

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Spurs have reached their current position with Postecoglou introducing Micky van de Ven into the middle of his backline and Pape Matar Sarr becoming a key man in midfield alongside Yves Bissouma.

Nevertheless, according to Fichajes, Spurs have ambitions to strengthen in those areas at the midway point of the campaign.

As it stands, Spurs have Van de Ven and Cristian Romero as the standout central defenders, with the pair starting every single top-flight fixture this season.

Ben Davies is regarded as backup to that pair, while Adam Phillips is a younger alternative after his transfer from Blackburn Rovers, but Spurs allegedly plan on cashing in on Eric Dier in January.

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The long-serving Englishman has not played a single minute of league football in 2023-24 and Postecoglou will want to find a suitable replacement for his experience once he departs the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, either in January or next summer.

Postecoglou reportedly wants to add another creative midfielder to his squad, effectively to act as understudy to the in-form James Maddison.

Although Giovani Lo Celso currently occupies that role in the squad, the Argentine may also depart Spurs in the near future after being given just 24 minutes in the Premier League since Postecoglou came to the club.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is another player who will be considered for a departure, yet the 28-year-old has still featured for 242 minutes in the top flight this campaign despite dropping down the pecking order.