EPL

Tottenham must bolster attacking options in January, says Postecoglou

By Sports Desk December 04, 2024

Ange Postecoglou said that Tottenham must make signings during the transfer window to strengthen their attacking options. 

Tottenham find themselves seventh in the Premier League after 13 games this season, but have been unable to find consistency with results thus far.

But their form has not been helped by injuries in the forward areas, with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert out of action until next year with respective hamstring issues.

Dominic Solanke, who missed Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, is expected to feature against former side Bournemouth on Thursday, however.  

Despite those injuries, Postecoglou's side top the scoring charts in the top-flight this term with 28 goals, but the Spurs boss said he is in need of attacking reinforcements.

"With Richy, it has been frustrating because I see the potential in him and, to be fair, when he’s been fit he’s always made an impact," Postecoglou said. 

"That’s what you kind of hold on to, but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that front third over the next couple of transfer windows."

“Dom coming in has been great, but again we can’t overload him either, because ultimately, even if he stays fit and nothing happens, performance will invariably drop if his energy levels drop. So it’s something we’re aware of and need to plan for."

Cristian Romero is also unavailable for Thursday's game, adding to the absences of Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.

Tottenham's squad is likely to be stretched once again during December, with eight games coming up this month. 

Following their trip to Bournemouth, they take on Chelsea, Southampton, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolves in the Premier League. 

In between those league games, they face Rangers in the Europa League as well as a quarter-final EFL Cup tie against Manchester United. 

"It's a Thursday Sunday cycle for us pretty consistently," he added. 

"Monday is recovery day for the lads and yesterday training with the guys who didn't play the majority of the game.

"They've all recovered well, no issues from [Fulham] and we're ready to go for a big game tomorrow."

But up first for Tottenham is a trip to the south coast against Andoni Iraola's in-form Bournemouth side, who beat Wolves 4-2 in their last Premier League encounter. 

And Postecoglou will have confidence of returning to winning ways at the Vitality Stadium given their recent meetings with the Cherries. 

Tottenham have won 10 of their 14 Premier League games against Bournemouth (D2 L2) – of the sides they’ve faced at least 10 times in the competition, only against Swansea (79%) do they have a higher win rate.

Along with that, each of their last five top-flight away wins have been to nil, including a 4-0 victory at reigning champions Manchester City last time out.

Spurs, however, haven’t won any of their last 14 when conceding on the road (D5 L9), since a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in October 2023, and Postecoglou is expecting another difficult task away from home. 

"A tough challenge, not just of late but from last year. They came here and were really aggressive with their football and especially at their place," Postecoglou concluded. 

"They've beaten City and Arsenal at their place. They are one of those sides where they have real consistency in performance and approach, so you know that you're in for a battle. I'm really looking forward to it."

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