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Tottenham Hotspur 'keeping tabs on Aberdeen's Slobodan Rubezic'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 05 November 2023

Tottenham 'keeping tabs on Aberdeen's Slobodan Rubezic'

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping a close eye on Aberdeen and Montenegro centre-back Slobodan Rubezic amid their search for defensive reinforcements.

Tottenham Hotspur are apparently casting a watchful eye over Aberdeen defender Slobodan Rubezic.

The 23-year-old represented numerous clubs in Eastern Europe before making the move to Aberdeen, who paid just shy of £200,000 to bring him to Pittodrie from Serbian outfit Novi Pazar this summer.

Rubezic has taken no time at all to acclimatise to Scottish Premiership football, starting 10 top-flight games for Aberdeen so far, helping his side keep three clean sheets along the way.

The Montenegrin defender has also started all three of the Dons' matches during their run to the Scottish League Cup final, helping to shut out Hibernian in Saturday's 1-0 win to set up a final against Rangers.

Moreover, Rubezic has not missed a single minute of continental action for Aberdeen so far this term, starting against Eintracht Frankfurt, HJK Helsinki and PAOK in the Europa Conference League.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou pictured on September 30, 2023 © Reuters

The defender - who stands at 6ft 4in tall - earned his first senior Montenegro cap last month on account of his strong showings in Scotland, starting in a 3-2 international friendly win over Lebanon.

Rubezic's contract at Pittodrie runs until the summer of 2026, but according to The Sun, Tottenham are keeping a close watch on his performances as Ange Postecoglou seeks out Scotland-based targets.

The Australian is all too familiar with talent across the border from his glittering Celtic reign, and he allegedly sent club scout Ian Broomfield to Scotland to embark on a four-day mission with the aim of unearthing fresh blood.

Rubezic is thought to be one of the names that caught Broomfield's eye, and Tottenham are believed to be in the market for new defenders in the January transfer window, although Aberdeen would be unlikely to sanction a mid-season sale.

The Lilywhites captured Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg to play alongside Cristian Romero this term, and the Dutchman has seamlessly slotted into a new-look Tottenham backline during an exceptional start to the season.

Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven in action with Crystal Palace's Will Hughes on October 27, 2023 © Reuters

With Van de Ven and Romero shielding Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham have taken 26 points from 30 on offer in the top flight, the most for any Premier League manager in his first 10 games in charge.

However, the pair are short of cover in North London, where Eric Dier represents their only senior backup option, and the England international is expected to depart when his contract expires in 2024.

Eighteen-year-old Ashley Phillips is also mixing first-team duties with appearances for the youth team, although Ben Davies did fill in as a left-sided centre-back during the days of the Antonio Conte three-man wall.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Ko Itakura and America's Sebastian Caceres are thought to be on Spurs' defensive shortlist too, and the Lilywhites are also in the market for attacking reinforcements.

Current Celtic attacker Kyogo Furuhashi was watched by Broomfield, and a January loan deal has been mooted for Jota, who has been frozen out at Al-Ittihad since leaving Parkhead.