8 months ago
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New forward? Check. New centre-back? Check. Two high earners from a bygone era off the books? Double-check.
Tottenham are enjoying a solid January transfer window, and there are still over two weeks until the deadline.
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Next up for Spurs is a new central midfielder. If Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United taught us anything it's that the club is light of options in the middle of the park.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou is believe to have his eye on a versatile operator who can carry out a couple of roles in midfield.
Options in the right age bracket are few and far between but WhoScored.com have picked out five Spurs could target this month as they seek to round off the window in style.
Conor Gallagher - Chelsea
The number one target for Tottenham this month. Conor Gallagher would tick a number of boxes were they to strike a deal for the England international this month.
That, though, will prove easier said than done. While Chelsea need to sell some homegrown stars to remain in line with Financial Fair Play regulations, supporters would never forgive the board if they sold Gallagher to their London rivals in the January window.
Spurs' interest in Gallagher is completely understandable. Postecoglou wants a number 8 shuttler who can also play as a number 10 where needs must. The 23-year-old has played both roles for Chelsea this season and has done so to a good standard.
Gallagher has four assists to his name from a modest 1.4 key passes per 90, and has shown the desire to bring others into play where possible with a 91.1 per cent pass success rate ranking highly among central midfielders. Combined with his high work rate, it's easy to see why the Chelsea star is the one Postecoglou craves.
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Manuel Locatelli - Juventus
Juventus have shown an interest in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is free to leave Spurs this month provided the north London side can reinforce in the middle of the park.
The Old Lady also have previous when it comes to a player-swap, and they can do so again in January should Spurs fail to convince Gallagher to leave Chelsea before the end of the month.
Manuel Locatelli may be a lifelong Juventus fan however if there is any manager who can convince a player to move on to pastures new, then it's Ange Postecoglou.
Locatelli may not offer quite as much as Gallagher in the final third - the Italian has scored one and assisted two in Serie A this season - but the 26-year-old is a tenacious ball winner who knows how to recycle possession effectively.
The Italy international is slightly different profile to Gallagher but he'd allow others in the squad to play the midfield role Postecoglou craves.
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Morgan Gibbs-White - Nottingham Forest
Tottenham have already raided Nottingham Forest for one youngster this season, why not do so again?
Forest have been charged with breaching profit and sustainability rules, and a quick sale could be possible should they need to raise funds to help balance the books.
To their credit, Forest have a number of sellable assets and they'd likely cash in on others before considering offers for Morgan Gibbs-White.
The 23-year-old has struggled to match last season's attacking output in the first half of the campaign but with Forest's high turnover in players, there's an obvious struggle to get up to speed with his new teammates, thus impacting the youngster's consistency.
There is the eye for a defence splitting pass - a return of nine accurate through balls ranks 13th since the start of last season, that level with Spurs star James Maddison - and an improvement in Gibbs-White's work off the ball means he could be coached into playing as both a number 8 who can provide cover at number 10.
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Rocco Reitz - Borussia Moenchengladbach
Hardly a household name, Rocco Reitz is enjoying a commendable breakout Bundesliga campaign.
Having spent plenty of time at St.Truiden on loan, Reitz is shining in a more prominent role for Gladbach having scored four and provided two assists so far this season.
However, the 21-year-old isn't the creative midfielder that his attacking output might suggest.
Rather, Reitz's best work comes out of possession. Indeed, the German is making 2.2 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per 90 in the Bundesliga this season, a solid return, and this hard work off the ball would undoubtedly appeal to Postecoglou.
There is work to be done to improve his work on the ball but at his age, there's plenty of time for this side to his game to develop. The Gladbach midfielder would be a left field midfield additon yet one ripe for improvement.
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Ederson - Atalanta
Another lesser-known midfielder that Spurs could target this month is Atalanta star Ederson.
The Brazilian has established himself as a key man for La Dea this season, evidenced in that his WhoScored.com rating of 7.10 is the best of all players for the club.
The 24-year-old has five goals to his name having netted in Monday's 5-0 thrashing of Frosinone and has laid on one assist to date.
Ederson ranks third for second (50) in Italy's top tier this term, with the Atalanta man routinely hunting possession for his side.
For Postecoglou's high-pressing Spurs machine, he would prove a good fit for the number 8 role in the north London side's midfield.
The issue would be whether he could also provide sufficient cover for James Maddison in a more advanced position if required but with a desire to make darting runs into the box, he could prove a handy pick up to slot into the Spurs midfield.
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