Tottenham Hotspur face the prospect of Real Madrid poaching key players in Ange Postecoglou‘s squad, with a well-connected former Spurs employee now sharing what he’s heard about that possibility this summer.
Tottenham face Man City after three consecutive Premier League wins
The Lilywhites are gearing up to face Man City in the Premier League this evening, off the back of three consecutive top flight wins for the first time this season, with Postecoglou’s side in much better spirits after a torrid last few months.
Player now “ready to leave” club with £25 million Tottenham bid tabled
James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert have all returned from injury and are available for selection, providing a real boost for Postecoglou, even if some key players remain out of action.
|
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Man City (home) |
Today |
|
Bournemouth (home) |
March 9th |
|
Fulham (away) |
March 16th |
|
Chelsea (away) |
April 2nd |
|
Southampton (home) |
April 5th |
Spurs’ head coach predicts a host of other noteworthy squad members to return to action in the next 10 days, with the north Londoners aiming to finish this domestic season on a high as they also put plenty of focus into their Europa League campaign – which comes as Postecoglou’s only chance to win a major piece of silverware before the end of 2024/2025.
“It will be the same as the weekend squad-wise,” said Postecoglou on team news ahead of Man City.
“Everyone got through the weekend well, no issues from it. We could obviously protect a few guys — Pedro (Porro) and (James) Maddison, didn’t start. Everyone is good.
“With the injured guys, nothing has really changed.
They are still progressing and training on and off with us. Hopefully over the next 7-10 days reintroduction.”
Their new winter arrivals have also bolstered Postecoglou’s options, with defender Kevin Danso slowly emerging as a leader at Tottenham after he put pen to paper on a January loan move from RC Lens.
Ex-Tottenham chief shares what he’s heard on Real Madrid signing Micky van de Ven
Spurs’ backline is often a subject of real debate. Star defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are vital for Postecoglou, but the Australian’s been forced to cope without the centre-back partnership for most of this season.
Reports have suggested that Real Madrid are targeting van de Ven and Romero as well, with ex-Tottenham chief scout Mick Brown now explaining what he believes about Carlo Ancelotti’s side potentially striking a deal for the former.
“Real Madrid are in the market for a left-sided centre-back,” he told Football Insider. “There have been links to Jarrad Branthwaite, but I hear they’ve been looking at the Tottenham defender, Van de Ven. I think he stands out as the better option between those two.
“He’s quicker than most, he’s technically impressive on the ball, he reads the game well. He’s got experience at a high level now as well.
“Obviously a lot will depend on how he recovers from this injury, so they’ll be keeping an eye on that. But I think they’d be more likely to go for him rather than Branthwaite at the moment.”
The £50,000-per-week central defensive ace’s eventual return will be a major uplift for Spurs, but time will tell whether they can benefit from his services for long given the pull of a Madrid move.
