Ange Postecoglou makes admission on Tottenham squad ahead of transfer deadline day

Evening Standard

·2 February 2025

Ange Postecoglou makes admission on Tottenham squad ahead of transfer deadline day

Spurs boss full of praise as Archie Gray and Djed Spence step up

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admits his side are a “little bit thin” defensively despite the signing of Kevin Danso.

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Spurs signed Danso on loan from Lens and the deal includes an obligation to buy the defender for around £21million at the end of the season.

Postecoglou was delighted with the signing of Danso but admits his squad are lacking defensive options. Micky van de Ven missed the win over Brentford as the club continue to manage his minutes, while the Spurs boss also provided a concerning update in regard to Radu Dragusin.

Romania international Dragusin came off for Spurs against Elfsborg on Thursday with a knee injury and Postecoglou has confirmed it “doesn’t look good” for the 22-year-old.

Spurs have been linked with a move for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi and the Australian admitted his defence remained somewhat light.

“Look I think, again, it's about seeing where we're at in terms of the fit of the player,” replied the 59-year-old when asked if the club remained on the lookout for another defender.

“It's not just about bringing another body in, I've said that all along. We're still a little bit thin defensively.”

Star in the making: Archie Gray continues to shine for Tottenham

Action Images via Reuters

Postecoglou, however, was impressed with the performances of Djed Spence and Archie Gray after what was a crucial win at the Gtech Community Stadium.

On Gray, the Tottenham manager said: “It goes under the radar, but the job Archie Gray's doing is just ridiculous. 18 years old, he's never played centre-back before, he's playing in the Premier League, and Europe midweek, every game. It's just incredible.

When asked about the performance of Spence, Postecoglou added: “He’s been outstanding since he's come into the team. He had to bide his time.

“It's fair to say we needed Djed to really be patient, and also just mature a little bit, and I think he has. And once he got into the team he's looked fantastic.

“And he was important for us today, I think we'd missed him the last couple of games. He's one of these defenders that loves the challenge of taking on the elite in the Premier League wingers, there's some outstanding ones. And Bryan Mbeumo's right up there, especially here. You can see he loves that challenge.”

Spurs are back in action on Thursday when they head to Liverpool for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, with Postecoglou’s side holding a 1-0 advantage.