Tottenham Hotspur's season is now 10 games in and Ange Postecoglou will already be well aware of what he needs in the January transfer window.
Spurs' performances have not always brought their rewards during the first couple of months of the new campaign with the north London side recording six wins from the opening 10 matches, as well as one draw and three defeats. Postecoglou has had to deal with the addition of European football this term and with that the need to comply with the squad registration rules.
Those restrictions have meant Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon were left out of the Australian's 23-man Europa League squad for the expanded new league phase of the competition, which lasts until the end of January.
That also needs to be taken into account when Spurs look for new additions in the winter transfer window with the understanding that if any changes are to be made to the Europa League squad, then other players will have to be taken out of it.
So let's start with what Tottenham don't need in the January window. They have a couple of strikers now in Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, with 19-year-old Will Lankshear having also made his debut in Europe and Son Heung-min able to play in the role. That means another new forward is likely to be lower down the priority list if those options remain the same.
Postecoglou has right-backs aplenty in Pedro Porro, Spence and also 18-year-old Archie Gray, who has played most of his minutes in the position since arriving from Leeds.
There are also a large number of number eights now with Dejan Kulusevski adding to Spurs' creative options in the centre of the pitch as well as the teenager Lucas Bergvall continuing to gain experience. A new senior number six would not be out of the question with neither of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur able to make the position their own. Gray is a potential long term answer to that position but much depends on when Postecoglou will decide to unleash him in the role.
Spurs have plenty of wingers when everyone is fit with Son, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Kulusevski able to to play in the position with Yang Min-hyeok arriving in January, although it's a position that the club will always keep an eye on.
A new goalkeeper to challenge Guglielmo Vicario will be required in 2025 but whether it comes in January is another thing, because that new stopper would simply swap with Fraser Forster in the Europa League squad and not actually fix any of the registration issues.
The main deficiency in Postecoglou's squad continues to be the left side of the defence, both in terms of a centre-back and at left-back.
Ben Davies has been filling in as the left-sided centre-back although with his contract running towards its conclusion, it seems increasingly likely that his long-term future could lie elsewhere. The Wales international does not suit Postecoglou's inverted full-back position either.
Spence has been filling in at left-back to cover Destiny Udogie outside of the Europa League, while Reguilon is not part of the Tottenham head coach's plans going forward.
In an ideal world, the perfect signing in January would be a fleet-footed left-sided centre-back, who can also play as a Postecoglou left-back if required.
That way they can bring the pace required from at least one covering defender with the Australian's high line and also their versatility would prevent the need to try to crowbar further players into the Europa League squad - if Spurs progress to the knockout stages - while taking others out.
In essence, the north London club need to clone Micky van de Ven. Even if they can do that, to put him in the Europa League would still require someone to drop out.
Postecoglou will already have discussed the various scenarios with technical director Johan Lange and head of scouting Robert Mackenzie. All eyes will be on January and what they decide.
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