Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted that one decision he made in the summer has backfired.
The Australian boss made seven signings in his first summer in charge at Tottenham Hotspur, and immediately endeared himself to the supporters with a strong start. Patchy form has littered the past couple of months, though, with injuries and absences a major issue for the club - especially at centre-back.
Ben Davies and Emerson Royal have filled in on multiple occasions there, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both missing at certain points. Having let three central defenders leave the club in the summer, Postecoglou admits that might be proving a mistake.
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"When you think about it," Postecoglou told Sky Sports, "we let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn't get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine.
"But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier's had some issues as well, we don't have another centre-back. Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it's fair to say that we can't run the risk of that happening again, so that's obviously a priority for us in January.
"But again, we've got to get the right person. It's not just about bringing another body in, it's about getting the right one in and hopefully that'll happen."
As Postecoglou mentions, Tottenham Hotspur will prioritise the signing of a centre-back in January. With Van de Ven not expected to return until at least mid-January, it seems Spurs will act fast in the winter window to add a new central defender to the squad.
"Ultimately, we still need to sign another centre-back because at the moment we are a little bit on tenterhooks because if something happens again we are short and we are already short," Postecoglou added.
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