‘I like him’: PL legend’s Ange defence as Spurs’ transfer falls through amid injury crisis

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham’s “vicious cycle” of injuries has hampered his attempt to get the troubled club back on track.

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Postecoglou is under severe pressure after a miserable run of seven Premier League games without a win, with six defeats in that dismal spell also triggering fan protests against chairman Daniel Levy.

Ahead of Sunday’s game at Brentford, Postecoglou’s side are languishing in 15th place, just eight points above the relegation zone.

The Australian earned a little breathing space on Thursday when a 3-0 win against Elfsborg booked Tottenham’s place in the Europa League last 16.

But Postecoglou is battling a lengthy injury list that threatens to stop the north Londoners ending their malaise.

Postecoglou was already without Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner and James Maddison.

Romanian defender Radu Dragusin became the latest to be bitten by the injury bug when he was forced off against Elfsborg, although centre-back Micky van de Ven played 45 minutes on his return from a hamstring problem.

“We’ve had to deal with a real extreme situation, which unfortunately once we got hit, it is then very hard to rectify on the run,” Postecoglou told reporters on Friday.

“We obviously got some significant injuries early on, which hampered our progress, and then we had to rely on a small group of players to get us through and that then burdened them.

“It has been this vicious cycle. The volume of games that clubs are playing, we’ve been in an extreme situation but a lot of clubs are facing similarities in Europe.”

It is a vital week for Tottenham, who travel to Liverpool holding a 1-0 lead in the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals on Thursday before heading to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on February 9.

Injuries forced Postecoglou to turn to youth academy graduates Dane Scarlett, Mikey Moore and Damola Ajayi, who all scored their first goals for the club against Elfsborg.

Now the former Celtic boss is desperate to avoid any further fitness setbacks as he bids to end a Tottenham trophy drought stretching back to 2008.

“Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s usually been an oncoming train,” he said.

“We seem to be losing players as we get them back. We don’t want to lose anyone else, but again, best laid plans.

“You can’t plan for these things. We’ve got a big week coming up, starting Sunday.

“We’re going to have to do it with this core group of players, so we’ve just got to be careful about how we go about it.”

Spurs’ terrible injury crisis has spurred the club’s usually frugal chairman, Daniel Levy, into action in the transfer market.

However, their attempt to strengthen the Australian’s options, and deepen his squad, have taken a major dent with Bayern Munich teenager Mathys Tel’s decision to reject a move to the club, according to Sky Sports.

A deal reportedly worth £50m had been struck between the two clubs for the highly promising Frenchman, whose game time has been limited since joining the German giants in 2022.

It is believed the French U-21 international has knocked back the chance to unite with Postecoglou in London in favour of a loan deal to one of Manchester United, Aston Villa, or Chelsea. Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli are also interested in the highly-rated attacker, who is capable of playing across the front line.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Show, Arsenal legend Paul Merson doesn’t believe Tel’s decision is a major blight on Spurs, given the disparity between Bayern’s position and Tottenham’s.

“I wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing for Spurs. He’s coming from Bayern Munich, he’s not coming from a lesser team. No disrespect to Tottenham, but he’s coming from a huge team. He’s got to get the right move,” Merson said.

Given injuries to Solanke, Odobert, Johnson, and Werner, as well as captain Heung-Min Son’s form struggles, Tel’s decision is a major blow for Spurs. However, Sky Sports are reporting the 19-year-old isn’t the only talent pursued by the club in the final days of the January window.

According to the publication, the club are in advanced talks with AC Milan to sign former Chelsea centre back Fikayo Tomori, a move that would bolster Postecoglou’s depleted backline options.

The 27-year-old, who was integral to Milan’s league title back in 2020-21, has struggled for minutes this season, having played just 826 for the Italian giants, who sit 7th in Serie A.

Despite this drop in game time, Tomori would be a worthwhile asset for a Spurs side who’ve utilised teenager holding midfielder Archie Gray at centre back at various points this season, with the five-time England international’s recovery pace a key part of his game.

However, according to Arsenal legend Ian Wright, a few new additions to Spurs’ squad mightn’t be the silver bullet many expect, given their current injury record.

“Even if they bought three players now, they might lose more,” Wright said on a recent episode of The Overlap.

Wright believes Tottenham’s loaded schedule, which sees them play four times in the next 10 days, the constant game time the likes of Son and Dejan Kulusevski have had to ground out, and the period of adjustment most new signings require, could lead to further players being sidelined.

Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney stressed the impact new faces can have on a squad, even if they don’t take the field.

“When a couple of new players come through, it gives everyone a lift,” the 39-year-old said.

While Postecoglou’s managerial future is on the line in the coming weeks, Rooney stated his wish for the Australian to maintain his post, regardless of the outcome of their next few games.

“I hope he survives. I like him. I like his demeanour. I think, how honest he is, sometimes you can be too honest, and sometimes that comes back to kill you,” he told The Overlap.