The Tottenham transfer problem Daniel Levy must find solution to for Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur have now reached the final eight days of the transfer window and there is still plenty to do within Ange Postecoglou’s squad

What do buying or loaning clubs do when they see a Premier League side desperate to cut their squad numbers? They wait.

There’s a certain irony to that Premier League club being Tottenham Hotspur as well because it is a tactic the north London side’s chairman Daniel Levy is well known for, sitting it out until the later stages of a transfer window for certain targets, either knowing that the player only wants to join them and nobody else or that the selling club will become nervous and drop the price.

It’s a strategy that comes with risks, most notably when Spurs messed up their move to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for Mauricio Pochettino in 2018, the Midlands side suddenly getting a fresh injection of investment and no longer needing to sell the midfielder who has now won it all with Manchester City after his £100m move to join Pep Guardiola’s side.

It is something Tottenham have moved away from in recent years with more bigger moves done earlier in the summer windows. However, they are now being looked as a club to use their own old tactic upon.

Clubs are eying up Spurs right now and seeing the same old problems and the same players sat there unlikely to play under yet another manager. Clubs on the continent are circling various squad members but they are waiting to pounce at the point when they can get the best possible deal.

The need for that is mostly due to the financial power difference between the countries and the disparity between Premier League wages and those handed out across Europe. It’s what makes loan moves with a portion of the salary paid so frequent from Premier League sides to those on the continent. The other solution is the English side paying off a remaining chunk of the player’s contract in order for them to move permanently.

Moves have been slow at other Premier League clubs untouched by Saudi transfer money.

Spurs’ desperation is compounded by their squad numbers issue. They currently have 31 players aged over 21-years-old and Ange Postecoglou can only register 25 such players in his matchday squad. Of those 31, Australian has 20 foreign players, which is three over the 17 limit for the league.

That still means six players aged over 21 at least must leave or be left out of his final squad, and more players must depart if Postecoglou wants to bring in any signings over that age.

The situation Spurs find themselves in with Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Joe Rodon the only players to have left the squad the summer is exactly what the new head coach did not want. Lucas Moura came to the end of his contract while Arnaut Danjuma and Clement Lenglet’s loans ended.

Postecoglou said earlier this month that he did not want a situation to arise where the club was going late into the window not knowing who was still to leave and who needed to come in.

“What we don’t want to do is have it all happen late in the window, which means we are caught short in any area,” he said two weeks ago. “It’s got to work both ways, we can’t just keep accumulating players. But there is still value out there – you don’t always need to spend at the top end. It’s about getting the right fit for your club and [James] Maddison is a great example of that.”

Yet here Tottenham are and despite having signed six players – two of them youngsters – and made the loan moves of Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro permanent, the rest of the club’s transfer business is set to happen late in the window because they are at the mercy of those clubs circling around them as they tread water.

Despite announcing his desire to leave Spurs in June, former captain Hugo Lloris is yet to decide on his next club, one that must also strike a deal with Tottenham for a goalkeeper who has a year remaining on his contract as one of their top earners.

There is also a domino effect to it all and it could be that a potential move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg sparks something. The Dane has been out of the starting line-up so far this season, unused at Brentford and coming on for the final 14 minutes against Manchester United.

Hojbjerg’s contract is now within its final two years and leaves Spurs in the position of wanting an eventual fee worthy of one of the more consistent midfield performers in the Premier League in recent seasons but also wary of allowing him to become yet another player reaching the final 12 months of his deal.

Atletico Madrid have shown an interest in Hojbjerg but have also faced financial problems which might require any potential deal struck with Spurs to reflect that. Various Atletico players have been linked with moves to join the Saudi exodus and should one of those moves happen then it could open the door for Hojbjerg progress.

Tanguy Ndombele has been unable to catch the eye of Postecoglou, the Tottenham boss believed to be unimpressed with his attitude, application and time-keeping. The north London club will listen to any offers that come in for the Frenchman but again his wages make any loan likely to be a subsided one and any transfer would require them to pay off a chunk of his salary and/or accept a vastly reduced fee.

Postecoglou has already said that he wants to upgrade the squad in defence, midfield and attack if possible before the window closes and told football.london out in Barcelona that he wants another centre-back, with Torino’s Perr Schuurs and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo among those in the frame.

Eric Dier cannot get into Postecoglou’s squad right now and his contract situation means Spurs are unlikely to want to let the 29-year-old stay for his final 11 months and then leave for nothing, although they could have little say in that.

The England international is not understood to be pushing for a move and wants to fight for a place in Postecoglou’s defence, but would discuss a loan exit if the club is approached about one and if the head coach does not feel he will force his way back into the line-up.

A loan move though is unlikely to appeal to Tottenham with Dier’s contract situation, other than to save some money on his wages in his final year. Equally, as this point before any new arrivals, an injury to either Romero or Van de Ven would also see Dier come back into the squad.

Davinson Sanchez has impressed Postecoglou with his recent displays and his pace makes him a more natural fit for the high line. However, the fact that his contract is also heading towards its close will make any transfer appealing for the north London club, with Spurs having previously accepted a £12m bid from Spartak Moscow, a move that did not appeal to the Colombian.

Japhet Tanganga has suitors at home in the Premier League and in Italy and Postecoglou must decide whether he can allow all three centre-backs to leave in the same window.

Among the full-backs, Spurs will listen to any offers for Djed Spence, who has failed to impress Postecoglou. football.london understands the 23-year-old has interest from clubs in the Championship and Italy but is understood to be currently unsure about leaving the Premier League. That could result in him staying in what would very much be a watching role at Spurs in the months ahead with no European fixtures, unless injuries strike Postecoglou’s squad.

Sergio Reguilon has interest from clubs in Spain, but with last season almost completely lost to injury or sitting on the bench, Spurs are going to struggle to get the kind of permanent fee they would want for the Spaniard, which will leave a loan move the more likely switch.

Bryan Gil is also approaching the end of his recovery following a groin operation and could yet depart the club in the coming week if a suitable offer arrives.

There are also younger players who came out of the academy heading out of the door, with Troy Parrott and Harvey White not given squad numbers by the club and Postecoglou to decide whether Dane Scarlett gets another loan move this summer to maintain his development.

football.london understands that Parrott is being chased by Excelsior Rotterdam among other clubs in the Eredivisie and Bundesliga, while young midfielder White will also be heading out of the exit door before next Friday’s deadline.

Call it poor recruitment, a messy mish-mash of a squad built for such different and frequently changing managers or poor contract choices which have either left unwanted players comfortable to sit on long, well-paid deals or others reaching those final year or two of their contracts and handing them more power in their future decisions, but Levy needs to wade through the mess and find a number of solutions.

Postecoglou wants more new arrivals but has also publicly stated that he cannot afford to ostracise those players he does not currently need because there is no guarantee that they will leave the club.

Tottenham have interest in exciting young attacking players like Brennan Johnson and Gift Orban – who would not affect squad limits as he is 21 but currently has a hefty price for an unproven player in the Belgian league – and the club like Schuurs and Adarabioyo among others at the back, while they would also likely have to move for another midfielder if Hojbjerg were to depart.

Spurs need to get players out of the door though and it’s an age-old problem that has frustrated the fans as much as it has the club. Unfortunately to ‘just get rid’ of the unwanted squad members is not as easy as it sounds, while allowing so many to sit there unregistered on big contracts is a huge drain of millions in funds needed elsewhere.

What Tottenham would do for some of the Saudi interest in their players, which so far only appears to have fallen upon those who either they have not been wi