Tottenham to fix centre-back issues with top European defender: report

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: manager Ange Postecoglou of Tottenham Hotspur FC and Micky van de Venand Cristian Romero during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and West Ham United FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 19, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Tottenham manager Postecoglou with Van de Ven and Romero (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham have suffered greatly at centre-back in the time Ange Postecoglou has been at the club, but that could all be set to change with the signing of a top European.

While Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have established themselves as Postecoglou's preferred centre-back partnership at Tottenham, injuries and suspension - often happening to both players at the same time - has meant makeshift back fours have been needed instead.

That looks set to change, however, as Tottenham look to bring in proven quality that could see one of the aforementioned defenders ousted from the starting line-up.

Tottenham interested in PSG defender Milan Skriniar

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 22: Milan Skriniar of PSG during the Ligue 1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Toulouse FC (TFC, Tefece) at Parc des Princes stadium on November 22, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) Tottenham interested

Skriniar playing for PSG (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham are keeping a watchful eye on Milan Skriniar's situation at PSG, with the Slovakian defender out of favour under Luis Enrique.

Having started just four of PSG's 14 Ligue 1 games this season, Skriniar seems surplus to requirements in Paris. Indeed, he failed to even make the matchday squad against Lyon last weekend, with youngsters Willian Pacho and Lucas Beraldo starting the game, and Marquinhos on the bench.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero celebrate a goal for Tottenham against Arsenal which was later ruled out in April 2024.

Though they're a strong partnership, Tottenham need more reliability at centre-back (Image credit: Getty Images)

The report suggests that January presents a key period in the 29-year-old's career, with Tottenham touted as a possible destination. Atletico Madrid are also linked, with a return to Italy on the cards, too.

Skriniar signed for the French giants on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and immediately looked settled at the Parc des Princes. Over time, though, Enrique's opinion of the no-nonsense centre-back has changed, with Skriniar now looking elsewhere for game time.

Though he has three-and-a-half years remaining on his PSG contract, Skriniar is valued at just €15m by Transfermarkt, suggesting Spurs could pick up a bargain in the January window. While PSG would likely demand more than that fee, they'll make profit on him regardless having brought him in for free.

In FourFourTwo's view, the report only seems to tenuously link Skriniar to Tottenham, suggesting both parties would be a good match for each other without providing any concrete evidence. If the price is right, Spurs would do well to bolster their defensive options with the former Inter captain, though.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.