Spurs linked to Lens central defender | OneFootball

According to a report from The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur, as well as fellow Premier League side Newcastle United, are chasing Lens central defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who is said to be valued at £25 million pounds.

Spurs said to be interested in central defender from Ligue 1

At just 20-years old, Khusanov has become a regular in the Lens side, and has already played 795 minutes of Ligue 1 football so far this season. The defender has also already logged 16 caps for the Uzbekistan national team, and was part of the team that made the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals early on this year.

He is not the only player from Lens that the club have looked at, with recent reports mentioning that Spurs are one of a number of clubs interested in midfielder Andy Diouf. Furthermore, Khusanov’s central defensive partner, Kevin Danso, has also been linked with the club – and would count as homegrown, having grown up in Milton Keynes.

The direction that Spurs are looking down when it comes to defenders is clear. Radu Dragusin is just 22, Micky van de Ven 23, whilst there is also of course the very highly rated 17-year old Luka Vuskovic, who will join the club next summer. Even Cristian Romero is still 26, and has his best years ahead of him in theory.

Of course, whilst it is important to make these sorts of signings, and not miss out on a Kim-Min Jae type gem (albeit he was a very late bloomer), fans do get frustrated at the lack of proven signings, suggesting that there has to be a mix between future talent and current quality that can improve the first team.

Spurs are in a difficult position with central defenders. When fit, there is no doubt that the partnership is Romero and van de Ven. However, the current injuries the players are sidelined with, are far from the first of their careers. It is hard to lure players in knowing there is a settled partnership, yet Spurs often do not get to enjoy that duo.

This is not anybody’s fault in particular, it’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Manchester City are in a similar situation. They can promise a defensive midfielder four months of game time from January until the end of the season – but after that? They failed to sign a back up for Erling Haaland in the summer, too, after the departure of Julian Alvarez.

Still, Ligue 1 has proven to be a good place to buy prospects in recent years, so perhaps another one to keep an eye on.