Postecoglou plans to snare ‘elite’ £87m centre-back to sort Tottenham defence for a decade

Ange Postecoglou is reportedly planning to sign some ‘elite’ players at Tottenham, starting with £87million centre-back Antonio Silva, who’s seen as a long-term project.

The Spurs side under the Australian boss already looks a much better one than it did before his reign. Indeed, that’s in terms of both personnel and results of the playing style.

The likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have been fantastic additions to the side. Destiny Udogie’s integration into the side has gone very well, Pape Sarr is progressing fast, and Yves Bissouma looks revitalised.

Before the last few weeks, things were in fantastic shape for Postecoglou. Indeed, his side were top of the Premier League after 10 games, before a three-game losing streak dropped Tottenham down to fifth.

However, that could be put down to the amount of injuries in the squad, such as to Van de Ven, Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Manor Solomon to name just a few.

When all the star players are fit, Spurs look like a side that could contend for the title, given they were top for a short while.

That’s in stark contrast to last season, when they finished eighth and looked very poor.

Given Postecoglou looks to have built a side for the future in such a short space of time, the club will surely give him what he needs to continue ensuring his side are competitive.

Postecoglou wants ‘elite’ Silva transfer

He’s reportedly plotting a big signing for the future in the form of Benfica centre-back Silva, one of a few ‘elite’ players he wants to recruit at Tottenham.

That’s according to Fichajes, who state Postecoglou is looking for a ‘top-class defender’ to compete for a place with usual centre-backs Cristian Romero and Van de Ven.

It’s said Tottenham like Silva as he’s not only an immediate solution but also a ‘long-term project with impressive potential’.

Indeed, given the centre-back is only 20 and has already played 62 senior games for Benfica, including 14 in the Champions League, he could be a star for the next decade.

Two obstacles for Spurs

The main obstacle in the pursuit of Silva is his £87million release clause. It’s unclear if Tottenham would currently be able to pay that, though it’s said they’re eager ‘despite this financial challenge’.

Another potential roadblock is interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United.

TEAMtalk recently revealed that while the Red Devils want to improve their backline with Silva, they may need to see a ‘high-profile centre-back’ depart first.

If United can’t pay without seeing a first-team player depart, Spurs may not be able to either.

Indeed, their expenditure was greater than their income in the summer despite selling Harry Kane for £86million, so they might have to ship a few players out before they can snare Silva.

Given he could be a star for them both now and in the future, it might be worth letting some players go in order to get him.

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