Tottenham failed to sign any of the three defenders Ange Postecoglou reportedly recommended during transfer discussions earlier this summer. Spurs enjoyed a busy window during Postecoglou’s first few months in charge, although there are clear gaps in their squad.
Brennan Johnson headlined a busy deadline day for Spurs, who subsequently failed in a reported bid for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. Johnson joined a further eight players in arriving at the Tottenham Stadium.
James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Manor Solomon, Micky van de Ven, Ashley Phillips and Alejo Veliz all joined Spurs. Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski had their loan spells made permanent.
Despite a long list of new additions, Postecoglou did not get all of his preferred targets. The Australian reportedly identified his back four as a weakness at the start of the summer and apparently gave three potential signings to the club.
According to football.london, Perr Schuurs, Gleison Bremer and Tosin Adarabioyo were all centre-backs who Postecoglou and chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini identified. Those players were picked out after the pair embraced data-led scouting.
However, none of that trio arrived, despite several reports suggesting that Spurs tried very hard to sign Torino star Schuurs. Van de Ven arrived from Wolfsburg but was the only senior addition to Postecoglou’s options in central defence.
Joe Rodon departed for Leeds while Spurs also saw Clement Lenglet return to Barcelona following his loan last season before moving on a temporary basis to Aston Villa. There was also uncertainty over Eric Dier’s future, but the England man remained in North London.
Postecoglou insists he is happy with the club’s business, though. Seven points from three Premier League games shows an excellent return for the former Celtic boss.
Speaking early on Friday, Postecoglou said: “The ones we’ve brought in so far the evidence shows have been good contributors for us and that’s what you look for. Vicario, Madders, Van de Ven, Solomon, even Destiny coming back for his first year.
“I’m really pleased. That’s what you’re looking for. It’s not just about bringing players in but bringing them in and they’re contributing straight away. That’s probably a good indicator of the business we’ve done so far. Until you get to the end of the window and you know exactly where it all falls and you’re into the season, we won’t.”
