Summary Tottenham Hotspur's failure to sign a centre-back this summer is "ridiculous" despite their good signings so far, claims journalist Alasdair Gold. Spurs' defensive record last season was one of the worst in the Premier League, making new centre-backs a priority for new coach Ange Postecoglou. The club's interest in Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven has not progressed, which is perplexing considering Postecoglou's emphasis on the need for centre-backs.
Tottenham Hotspur's failure to sign a centre-back this summer is "ridiculous" even if the signings made so far have been good in their own ways, claims journalist Alasdair Gold.
Are Tottenham Hotspur signing a centre-back this summer?
It has been a mixed transfer window for Spurs so far this summer. Things started excellently for the north Londoners with the signing of Leicester City star James Maddison and Empoli shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario, as both of them are set to slot straight into the starting eleven and raise the level of the team.
Those two were followed by the astute signing of Israeli international Manor Solomon on a free, a winger that, whilst unlikely to make an instant impact on the first eleven, undoubtedly improves the quality of the team.
That said, there has been a glaring failure in the Lilywhites' dealings thus far, the absence of a single defensive signing.
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Last season, Spurs had one of the worst defensive records in the entire Premier League, letting in a staggering 63 goals throughout the season, a figure better than only five other teams.
With an Achilles heel such as this, new centre-backs are necessary if new boss Ange Postecoglou is going to succeed in his attempt to bring the club back to the top.
The club has been interested in two players in particular since the window opened; Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba and Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven. The Evening Standard reported halfway through last month that Spurs were 'still interested' in both players.
And yet, as of August 1, it would appear little progress has been made to bring either one of them to Hotspur Way. This is made all the more perplexing after journalist Alasdair Gold revealed that in an interview with Postecoglou, the Australian told him that new centrebacks were one of his "priorities."
Gold gave his opinion on the situation on his podcast, Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham, saying:
"It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous. I get that the other three players brought in were good opportunistic signings, and I think all of them will do well. I was really impressed with pretty much all of them in different ways on the tour, but Ange actually admitted to me in one of the interviews that centre-back and goalkeeper were the two priorities that he pointed out.
"So for both not to be in and amongst the first three signings is mad. It really is."
Who is better, Micky van de Ven or Edmond Tapsoba?
While many Spurs fans – and Postecoglou himself – may likely prefer the club just spent the money on both of them, which defender should the club sign if they're only going to get one?
There is little to separate them in terms of their performances last season. Wofsburg's Dutchman started 33 league games, scored one goal, provided one assist, maintained a passing accuracy of 88.3% and averaged a match rating of 6.66, per WhoScored.
Leverkusen's Burkinabe star, on the other hand, started 32 games, scored one goal, averaged a slightly lower passing accuracy of 85.8% and averaged a match rating of 6.64, also per WhoScored.
Where we see a slight difference is in their underlying numbers. According to FBref, the "monster" Tapsoba has a slight edge when it comes to defensive actions, averaging 2.73 tackles and interceptions per 90 to the 22-year-olds' 2.15.
It's also advantage to the Leverkusen man when it comes to touches of the ball per 90, as he averages 79.1 to 61.9, which in a Postecoglou system is going to be a critical statistic.
Finally, when it comes to aerial duals, it's once again an easy victory for the former Vitoria de Guimaraes prospect as he wins 1.72 duals per 90 compared to 1.06 for the Netherlands Under 21 star.
Ultimately, while Tapsoba looks to be ever so slightly better, the Lilywhites should potentially be looking to sign both of these players, and Gold is spot on in his assessment of the situation.