Tottenham transfer balancing act adding to strain as Ange Postecoglou makes young stars wait | OneFootball

Established starters increasingly relied on as Postecoglou opts against thrusting young talent into Premier League action

Tottenham's next signing Min-hyeok Yang will join up with the squad this month ahead of his official move from K League side Gangwon FC in January.

On the face of it, a new winger is exactly what Ange Postecoglou needs, with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert sidelined long-term and Mikey Moore still recovering from an energy-sapping virus.

Dominic Solanke's illness left the Spurs head coach with just three fit, senior forwards for Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham, which continued his side's inconsistent form.

Postecoglou's squad may be creaking as the absentees pile-up, but another promising teenager is unlikely to meaningfully improve his short-term options, at least not in the Premier League.

Lucas Bergvall’s opportunities have come in cup competitions

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Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18, joined Spurs in the summer with significantly more experience than Yang, but are still waiting to start a League game.

The pair were among seven Spurs substitutes against Fulham who have never started in the top-flight (also including Sergio Reguilon, who last played for the club in April 2022 and is not in Postecoglou's plans), while Djed Spence, 24, was effectively like a new signing in the summer but is yet to be named in an XI this term.

Postecoglou has been effusive about Gray's versatility and maturity, talked-up Bergvall's potential and repeatedly complimented Spence's improved attitude since the start of the season but, with a third of the League campaign already played, they have played a combined 164 minutes in the top-flight.

The trio effectively replaced Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso in the squad and while those three had no long-term futures under Postecoglou, they did at least contribute in the League, starting 24 top-flight games between them last term.

Postecoglou and Tottenham's technical director, Johan Lange, have insisted that the club are building a squad both for today and the future, with the latter telling Standard Sport in September: "We're building a squad to be competitive here and now. This is not a project [for] five years' time. They [the teenage summer signings, including Odobert] are here to play now but of course with their age they have the potential to become even better in the future."

Postecoglou has appeared reluctant to use his inexperienced new additions, adding to the strain on his established starters

So far, however, Postecoglou has appeared reluctant to use his inexperienced new additions, adding to the strain on his established starters.

If the Australian has reservations about their readiness, it is understandable; Gray has impressed in the Europa League but Bergvall has struggled to make an impact in Europe, occasionally appearing overawed, while there is not yet enough evidence of Spence's level following a series of uninspiring loan spells since he joined Spurs.

There is a case, too, that Gray, Bergvall and Spence would have featured more often if Postecoglou's squad had been more stretched in their positions.

Bergvall is battling with three in-form players at No.8, while Gray and Spence are behind Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie at full-back.

Archie Gray has played 47 minutes in the Premier League this season

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Gray can play in midfield, too, but Spurs were well-stocked at No.6 until Rodrigo Bentancur's recent ban.

Odobert, 19, did start two League games immediately after his move from Burnley but has since been sidelined with a serious hamstring injury.

But as the fixtures come thick and fast – Spurs face in-form Bournemouth and Chelsea this week – it is easy to wonder if Spurs' reluctance to buy established, senior players in the summer is hamstringing Postecoglou (excuse the pun) this season, leaving him even more short of options amid so many injuries.

Attempting to build a squad to be competitive both now and in the future was always going to be a tough balancing act, and arguably the club's attempt to have their cake and eat it.

Postecoglou's treatment of his young charges suggests he believes they need more time to develop before being thrust into action in the Premier League, which is adding to the pressure on the head coach in the here and now.