Tottenham ‘getting closer’ to season-saving deal, with Postecoglou to use familiar tactic

Tottenham Hotspur are making progress in their pursuit of Union Saint-Gilloise star Koki Machida, according to a report from Belgium.

Tottenham enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, winning eight of their first 10 Premier League games and putting themselves at the top of the table. New boss Ange Postecoglou made history by winning three Manager of the Month awards on the spin.

However, Tottenham’s unbeaten run came to an end on November 6 when they lost 4-1 at home to Chelsea in a pulsating all-London clash.

The match was particularly damaging for Postecoglou as he lost Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to serious injuries. Those two stars, as well as attacker Richarlison, will be out until the new year.

Spurs have since lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, which has seen them fall down to fifth.

It is clear that Spurs need to make several signings in the January transfer window if they are to remain in the mix for Champions League qualification and potentially the title.

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They need a new striker, having failed to properly replace Harry Kane following his move to Bayern Munich, as well as a new winger who can help replace Richarlison.

But arguably the most important aim will be to snare a new centre-half. This is because Postecoglou does not trust Eric Dier, as he cannot hold a high line like Van De Ven.

Tottenham find Eric Dier replacement

Spurs have been linked with several centre-backs recently, including Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and Sebastian Caceres of Club America. But Manchester United have now made Guehi a top January target, and this has resulted in Spurs identifying alternative signings.

They are big fans of Machida, who has been at Union SG since January 2022. The 26-year-old has established himself as an important player for Union SG, having played a full 90 minutes in 12 of their 15 league games so far.

And he is also picking up European experience, as he featured in the Europa League defeat to Liverpool on October 5.

As per Belgian source Voetbal Nieuws, Spurs are ‘getting closer’ to landing him. There is little mention of exactly how Spurs are progressing, but this claim suggests the North London outfit may already be in preliminary discussions with Union SG about a possible move.

Plus, Spurs will send scouts to watch Machida in action when Union SG come up against Liverpool again on December 14.

It would not be a surprise if Machida – who has won five caps for Japan – shone under Postecoglou, either. The manager developed a reputation for improving Japanese players during his time at Celtic, including the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate. Postecoglou also managed Yokohama F. Marinos between February 2018 and June 2021, guiding them to the Japanese title in 2018-19.

Should Spurs manage to land Machida, then he would likely form a centre-back partnership with Cristian Romero until Van De Ven returns from injury. Machida would also be on hand to come in for Romero when the Argentine gets banned, as he has had four red cards since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou will be delighted after one of his top Spurs targets was made available for transfer ahead of the January window opening.