Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on November 11, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur’s January shortlist revealed, with Spurs wanting a new centre-back: report

December 11, 2023 Sports 24 Views

Tottenham Hotspur are looking likely to bring in a new central defender, with a wishlist recently revealed.

The Lilywhites missed their starting pair of centre-backs for three games with Micky van de Ven injured until the New Year and Cristian Romero serving a suspension, highlighting the lack of depth in that area. Romero is back – but the club still haven’t replaced the outgoing Davinson Sanchez from the summer.

There are plenty of players linked with a move to north London but now, one report has named the shortlist of defenders on the radar for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Cristian Romero celebrates with his Tottenham team-mates as Spurs beat Liverpool in added time in the Premier League in September 2023. — Tottenham want depth alongside Cristian Romero (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Mirror have claimed that Bournemouth duo Illia Zabarnyi and Lloyd Kelly top the wishlist for Tottenham this winter.

Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini and Benfica’s Morato are both options further afield, while two centre-backs at London clubs, Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, are also on the radar.

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Ultimately, any January window move may come down to price. Guehi is thought to be valued at £50 million, while Bournemouth would have no reason to sell 21-year-old Zabarnyi, who only joined earlier this year. Scalvini and Morato may also be expensive to tempt from Europe.

Kelly, meanwhile, is out of contract at the end of the season and isn’t an automatic starter in the Cherries side, with Marcos Senesi ahead of him on the left side of the central defence and Milos Kerkez impressing at left-back. Tosin, too, may be attainable, since he isn’t a first choice in Marco Silva’s thinking.

Lloyd Kelly of AFC Bournemouth during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Chelsea FC at Vitality Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Bournemouth, England.

Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth may be Spurs’ most likely defensive buy (Image credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Tottenham are also believed to be in the market for attacking impetus.

The club brought in seven new recruits over the summer, excluding Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski, who signed permanently following loan spells.