Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has identified one player as a “weak link” in his team and personally wants a £55.6 million star to replace him this summer.

Spurs ready to back Postecoglou with key summer signings

The Australian’s debut season in the Spurs dugout can be seen as a successful one overall, with his brand of high-pressing, forward-thinking football winning over plenty of admirers at N17 – both inside and outside the club.

Even though Tottenham missed out on Champions League football next season, European football is still in the bag, which is a huge improvement from Antonio Conte’s disastrous final campaign in charge of the club before Postecoglou’s arrival.

The Lilywhites head coach has also repeatedly stated that a finish in the top four was far less important than the overall progression of his side in a footballing sense.

“My position on it is not so much, particularly this year, where we finish, it’s what kind of team we are, because if we finish fourth and we’re 25 points off the top, I’m not sure that’s the kind of trajectory we want to be on,” said Postecoglou on fourth place in early April.

“It’s part of making sure that we’re all focussed on what the ultimate ambition is. If we finish fourth this year, what it does show is that we’re progressing and we’ve made improvements, but that’s not the end goal. That’s why, for me, it’s much more important how we play between now and the end of the year, and how we finish.

“Then, we assess things. If we finish fourth and I feel we’ve made some progress and we’re set up for next year, then I’ll be pleased with that.”

While Postecoglou will be unfazed by finishing fifth, he has also been adamant that the Tottenham squad needs to undergo “drastic” change this summer. Spurs are ready to back their manager with key signings to kickstart Postecoglou’s rebuild, with many players also up for sale. This list of surplus Spurs squad members apparently includes forward Richarlison, despite the Brazilian’s haul of 11 goals and four assists in the Premier League alone

Ange outlines Richarlison as Spurs weak link as he eyes Sesko

As per information relayed by TEAMtalk, Postecoglou has run out of patience with Richarlison and believes he is a “weak link” going forward. RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko, as a result, is attracting their real interest.

Postecoglou apparently thinks Sesko is a “perfect upgrade” on Richarlison, and the latter is said to be the subject of admiration in Saudi Arabia. Pro League champions Al Hilal are thought to be in pole position to sign Richarlison, as per TT, amid claims they could splash out as much as £50 million to sign him from Tottenham.

Sesko’s release clause stands at around £55.6 million, so Richarlison’s sale to the Middle East could mean that Spurs may not even spend that much on the 6 foot 5 centre-forward when taking into account net spend.