Tottenham January transfers: Postecoglou ‘assessing’ strategy with depleted squad

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says he is “planning for every scenario” in the January transfer window – highlighting that two of his unused substitutes in Thursday’s Europa League draw with Roma were 16-year-old schoolboys.

Defender Malachi Hardy and midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett, have yet to sign their professional deals and attended school on Friday after sitting on the Spurs bench during Thursday night’s 2-2 draw with Roma.

Tottenham is one of several clubs competing in the Premier League and Europe with a squad stretched by injuries.

Postecoglou was asked to appraise his team’s season so far, lying sixth in the league before ninth-placed Fulham visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (13:30 GMT).

“Again, we had four school boys on the bench (including Callum Olusesi and Maeson King) last night, two of them were actually at school this morning,” he said.

“We are working pretty hard with some pretty limiting factors, and we are still maintaining competitiveness in the competitions that we are in.

“We are in a good place to get to the next round and had to deal with some adversity. I think so far our season has been solid.

“It has obviously had some extremes which taints people’s picture of where we are at. I always try to step back and take a broader view.”

Spurs are currently without seven players, including defender Cristian Romero who Postecoglou says is “close but unlikely” to return to face Fulham.

Micky van de Ven (hamstring) and teenager Mikey Moore (ill) could return before January, with Rodrigo Bentancur currently suspended until Boxing Day for a racial slur, pending an appeal to reduce a seven-game ban.

When asked whether transfer activity in January was the answer, the Australian coach said he’s had a “number of meetings” with technical director Johan Lange for a “strategy in January”.

Postecoglou added: “A lot of it will depend on where we are as a squad at that time.

“Between now and then, it is only really Romero and Van de Ven who will be back in that time frame, but Richarlison will hopefully be back in the New Year and we will just assess where we are squad wise.

“I think last year we did a little bit of business [Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner] which ended up helping us, but nothing concrete now because January is always tricky.”

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