Tottenham ‘pushing ahead’ with shock £20m move for Everton outcast Sean Dyche doesn’t trust

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to step up their interest in Everton defender Ben Godfrey as Ange Postecoglou looks to bring in a new centre-back.

Spurs got off to a flying start this season but injuries to key players such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have stunted their progress.

The injury to Van de Ven, coupled with a three-match suspension for Cristian Romero exposed the lack of quality cover in the centre-back position.

Postecoglou will turn to the January transfer window for a solution, with several centre-backs thought to be on the manager’s shortlist.

Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson is one player who could be available for a relatively affordable price this winter.

He was linked with Tottenham back in the summer and their interest hasn’t gone away.

It now seems, however, that Spurs could turn to Godfrey as an alternative, who Everton could be willing to sell for the right price to provide funds for their own winter transfer business.

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Tottenham tipped to ‘push ahead’ with Godfrey move

According to 90min, as cited by Football365, Tottenham are ‘prepared to push ahead’ with a move for Godfrey in January.

The report notes that one of Postecoglou’s priorities in the upcoming window will be to bring in a quick centre-back more suited to the manager’s system than his current options.

It’s claimed that Tottenham’s scouts have ‘been impressed by the two-time England international over recent years,’ but he has fallen down the pecking order since Sean Dyche became Everton manager in January.

Godfrey has played just one minute of Premier League football this season. 90min claim, however, that Tottenham would still have to offer £20m plus add-ons to get a deal done.

The 25-year-old joined Everton from Norwich City in 2020 for a potential total fee of around £25m.

Godfrey enjoyed his best run of form during Carlo Ancelotti’s time at Goodison Park. He made 36 appearances in the 2020/21 season, and his solid performances earned him his first call up to the England national team.

However, he suffered with COVID-19 in 2021, which Godfrey admitted ‘took his toll on him physically.’

When he was finally getting back to full fitness at the start of the 2022/23 season, the defender suffered a horrific leg break. Since then, he has struggled to break back into the Everton starting XI.

A move away from Goodison Park could therefore be the best thing for the defender’s career. Whether or not Tottenham would be willing to spend over £20m on him, however, remains to be seen.

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