Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou “wants another centre-back” this summer, according to Sky Sports writer Kaveh Solhekol, as the team closes in on the acquisition of Wolfsbug defender Micky van de Ven.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

Spurs have had an interesting transfer window this summer, to say the least, as while they have improved the squad and first team with the additions of James Maddison, Manor Solomon, and Guglielmo Vicario, they have also had to contend with Bayern Munich’s attempts to sign their star striker Harry Kane.

Nonetheless, the club has continued their recruitment and are poised to announce the acquisition of Netherlands under-21 star Van de Ven in the coming days, after agreeing to a £43 million deal with the Bundesliga side to bring him to N17, according to the Evening Standard.

And while the signing of the Dutch defender is undoubtedly exciting and represents a good investment from Daniel Levy and Co, the team surely need more defensive reinforcements, and they need them as soon as possible.

Last year was a disaster for the Lilywhites, with their eighth-placed finish seeing them miss out on any European football for the first time since the 2009/10 season, and their abysmal defensive record is one of the primary culprits as to why they had such a poor campaign.

Over the course of their 38 league games last season, Spurs conceded a massive 63 goals, a record better than only five teams, including the three relegated sides.

With a record like that, it becomes much easier to understand why Postecoglou would want another first-choice centre-back through the door this month, per Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol.

He explained the situation on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily), saying:

“Ange Postecoglou wants another centre-back coming in as well. And they have also bought in Ashley Phillips from Blackburn this week. He’ll be training with the first-team squad, but I think he’s one more for the future.

“So Micky Van De Ven in and probably another centre-back as well.”

Who else have Tottenham Hotspur been linked to?

Two defensive names above everyone else have been heavily touted for a move to the White side of north London this summer. One of those has been van de Ven; the other is Bayer Leverkusen’s dynamic defender Edmond Tapsoba.

Well, it’s good news for Spurs fans, as according to Football Insider, the club will now ‘accelerate’ their push to sign the Bukino Faso international in the coming weeks following their agreement to bring in van de Ven.

The only problem for Postcoglou’s side is that the Bundesliga outfit have set a price tag of around £50m for their star defender.

However, with the sale of Davinson Sanchez a possibility for Tottenham and Kane’s exit also a possibility, the Lilywhites should have enough money in their budget to make a compelling offer for the player, according to Football Insider.

Regardless of the enormous cost of a possible deal, adding Tapsoba would be excellent business for the club.

He has been great in recent seasons, never falling below an average rating of 6.64 in the past three seasons, according to WhoScored.

If Levy can close the transfer window with both Tapsoba and van de Ven this year, he will have done an excellent job, and Postecoglou should have enough quality at his disposal to compete for European football once more.