The pain of football – Ange Postecoglou says Spurs need to accept Wolves loss
Tottenham Hotspur could offer Barcelona the chance to sign Cristian Romero as part of a swap deal for winger Raphinha, according to reports in Spain. Ange Postecoglou is reportedly eyeing attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window, with Raphinha on his radar for a potential Premier League return.
Tottenham had made a sensational start to the Australian coach’s era, winning eight of their opening 10 Premier League games to set the early pace in the title race.
But crushing back-to-back defeats – 4-1 against Chelsea in north London and 2-1 at Wolves – have handed Postecoglou a harsh reality check of the unforgiving nature of the English top-flight.
Spurs’ impressive start to the campaign was fuelled by promising early signs among Postecoglou’s summer signings.
James Maddison appears to have been an inspired signing, and Micky van de Ven has the makings of a top-of-the-range Premier League defender.
Guglielmo Vicario also looks like a worthy successor to Hugo Lloris between the sticks, and Brennan Johnson is displaying plenty of promise.
Postecoglou reportedly plans to dip back into the transfer market this winter to continue instilling his vision into the squad.
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According to Sport, Tottenham will push to sign Raphinha in January amid a desire to freshen up their attacking firepower.
Barcelona splashed £55million to sign Raphinha from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. He has registered 12 goals and 15 assists in 61 appearances for the Blaugrana.
But it’s claimed Xavi is already prepared to cash in on the 26-year-old after teenage sensation Lamine Yamal’s emergence, setting his value at just above £61m.
Tottenham are said to be unwilling to match that asking price, though, but Raphinha is a long-term target, and he has made just three La Liga starts this season.
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The report adds that Spurs are weighing up potential players to sweeten a deal for Raphinha. Romero has been mentioned as among those whom Postecoglou would be ready to use as a makeweight.
Romero made his season-long loan from Atalanta permanent in a £47m deal in the same summer Raphinha swapped Elland Road for the Nou Camp.
But Tottenham will reportedly offer a significant sum of money on top of a player to tempt Barcelona to offload Raphinha.
It remains to be seen whether the Catalan giants would be interested in recruiting Romero as part of an agreement.
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