Report reveals just how close Tottenham came to sensational January raid on Liverpool

A fresh report has detailed just how far Tottenham got with their pursuit of Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez in the January transfer window.

Ange Postecoglou made the addition of a new central defender his main priority at the turn of the year after seeing his side struggle during Micky van de Ven’s spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and Cristian Romero’s suspension issues.

Ben Davies and Emerson Royal had to fill in after Postecoglou decided against integrating Eric Dier back into the team, while there were always plans to loan out summer signing Ashley Phillips.

Radu Dragusin eventually arrived from Genoa to act as cover for the first-choice pairing, but only after Tottenham failed with their efforts to bring in Gomez.

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The Daily Mail reports that the north London club made a firm enquiry to the Anfield outfit about Gomez’s availability.

It’s explained that the 26-year-old’s versatility prompted Postecoglou to test the waters and see if a move was on the cards.

However, the Mail adds that Spurs did not get very far in their chase for the England international, with Liverpool swiftly turning down their advances and deciding to hang on Gomez.

Gomez remains a key man for Klopp

That proved to a a wise decision, given the injury crisis the Reds have endured recently.

Indeed, Gomez was even deployed as a holding midfielder during last weekend’s late, late Premier League win at Nottingham Forest.

At this stage, it remains to be seen whether Tottenham are willing to reignite their interest in Gomez in the summer, especially given that he is the sort of adaptable player that Postecoglou loves.

The issue for Gomez would be that he would not be considered an automatic first-choice if he does swap Merseyside for the capital, which would arguably be the only reason why he would move on in the first place.

The former Charlton star has made 210 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions but is still, famously, yet to score for the club.

Tottenham are back in action on Sunday when they head to top-fou rivals Aston Villa, while Liverpool take on Manchester City in a titanic top-of-the-table clash.

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