Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has showered a top Tottenham transfer target with praise and revered his speed.

The centre-backs Spurs could sign in January

A left-sided central defender is apparently the top objective for Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and sporting director Johan Lange to sign in January. Due to the recent inability of summer acquisition Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero to play, the north Londoners were left severely short-staffed in defense for a while.

Postecoglou desires to bolster himself in an alternative role.

Now that Romero has served his sentence, van de Ven is still sidelined with a hamstring injury and won’t play for Tottenham until after the new year. They were a great team at the center of Postecoglou’s defense, and following Spurs’ 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the previous month, their absence was much felt.

The Lilywhites went on a winless run of four defeats in five Premier League games before finally ending that damp pitch with an impressive win over Newcastle last weekend. Postecoglou is very much still contending for Champions League football, but their lack of defensive depth is a real problem which needs to be solved.

Sebastian Caceres of Uruguay, Ben Godfrey of Everton, Radu Dragusin of Genoa, Morato of Benfica, and Goncalo Inacio of Sporting Lisbon are just a few of the center backs linked to Spurs as Lange and chairman Daniel Levy look to bolster Postecoglou’s backline.

Priority one for Tottenham going into January, according to Sky Sports, is finding a new center defense. Another source claims that their main choice is Everton player Jarrad Branthwaite.

After rejoining PSV Eindhoven on loan, the 21-year-old has blossomed under Sean Dyche. Now a dependable player, Branthwaire is essential to the Toffees’ defensive strategy as they move out of the relegation zone.

Football Transfers shared this week that Spurs have made Branthwaite a top transfer target for next month, and it’s a move which could well be endorsed by former Man City defender Richards.

Richards tips “very top” for Branthwaite

After hearing that Spurs are very interested in Brandon, the Sky commentator claims he is headed for the “very top” in an interview with the Rest is Football podcast (via Liverpool Echo).

Richards stated this week, “Young Branthwaite at the back was amazing [against Chelsea].”His decision-making is exceptional; he understands the game well, moves quickly, and makes the best choices.

“Marry all of them together, they deserve all the credit. He’s got an experienced head with [James] Tarkowski beside him. He also has a manager who loves the defensive side of the game.”