Spurs bidding war possible with Postecoglou “very keen” on signing 24 y/o
The Australian really wants him, but may have to make a concession.
Tottenham Hotspur could have an “interesting bidding war” on the horizon for 2024 with manager Ange Postecoglou apparently “very keen” on one player.
Spurs identify upgrades for Postecoglou
Spurs’ lack of depth in the squad has been severely exposed by injuries to outstanding players James Maddison and Micky van de Ven. Although both players may recover by January, it may be necessary for the team to think about their alternatives going ahead.
Spurs have been severely short-staffed due to the absences of Maddison and van de Ven, as well as the bans of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie. As a result, Spurs have lost their last two Premier League games before the international break.
Postecoglou spoke on van de Ven and Maddison, saying, “Micky obviously with that hamstring injury, we knew it was fairly significant, probably a couple of months for him looking into the new year.”
“Maddison is far worse than we initially believed.” We sent him for a scan since he appeared to have an ankle injury and wasn’t feeling well the following day. Once more, very likely into the new year for him.”
Everyone can notice these obvious gaps in Postecoglou’s team, and there are rumors that Tottenham would prefer a left-sided center back over van de Ven going ahead.
In recent days, Spurs have been connected to players like Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly, among others. It’s also said that the Lilywhites are searching for fresh strikers.
Al-Ittihad winger Jota and Genoa midfielder Albert Gudmundsson are reportedly contenders for the left-wing position, as Postecoglou lacks natural backup alternatives for Dejan Kulusevski.
Ange “very keen” on signing Jota
The Spurs owner is reportedly “very keen” on Jota, but he may have to wait until later in 2024 to acquire him due to a change in Saudi Arabian regulations, according to TEAMtalk.
In any case, the newspaper speculates that a “interesting bidding war” involving the 24-year-old may occur next year. Many Champions League teams are showing interest in the former Celtic player, whom Postecoglou is familiar with from their time together at Celtic.
Before moving to Al-Ittihad, Jota was a standout at Parkhead, where he finished his career with 11 goals and 11 assists in the Scottish Premiership. According to TEAMtalk, he could potentially be had for roughly £30 million, which is a reasonable price for Tottenham.
When discussing the remarkable talent of the Portuguese international last year, former Scotland international and Spurs right-back Alan Hutton described Jota as a “exciting” player and said what he accomplished for Celtic was nothing short of amazing.
“As a 23-year-old, Jota is still growing,” Hutton told Football Insider.
“He’s probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he’s done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he’s not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there’s a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he’s stood up to that task.
“Jota’s that player fans want to see. He’s exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes.”
