‘Nothing magical’: Postecoglou warns no transfer window magic for Spurs

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has tried to temper expectations after he insisted nothing magical would happen in the January transfer window for his injury-hit side.

Spurs’ mini-revival hit a major speed bump on Thursday night after they were blown away in a 4-2 defeat by Brighton. 

Nine players were unavailable for Postecoglou and he will lose the suspended Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and captain Son Heung-min for January due to international commitments after Sunday’s clash with Bournemouth. 

While a centre-back is top of the club’s wish list and talks are believed to be under way with Nice over defender Jean-Clair Todibo, Postecoglou played down any assumption that a flurry of activity would occur in N17. 

“Nothing magical’s going to happen in the January window,” Postecoglou said. 

Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 26, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

“What we need to do is just keep building. We’ve had one window with this team to change it around, to do things differently. 

“The fact that we’re in the position we are is a credit to the players. For all the challenges we’ve had, we just kept ploughing forward and that’s what we’ll do. 

“We’ll see what we can do in January, but ultimately it’s about building a side that will get us to where we want to.” 

One outgoing expected to be finalised in the coming days is the departure of Hugo Loris with the former captain close to agreeing a move to Los Angeles FC on a free transfer. 

Postecoglou added: “Obviously there’s stuff happening but I’ve been focused on the game. I’m sure we’ll hear something next couple of days.” 

Tottenham’s long list of absentees means Postecoglou has used 27 players in all competitions this season.

Meanwhile, captain Son has urged his teammates to bounce back from their Brighton humbling when Bournemouth visit on New Year’s Eve. 

He told SpursPlay: “Sometimes you have to be honest and take the result. 

“Going 4-0 down is just hard and not the way we want to play, it is not our style of playing football. 

“It is very disappointing, but we have to move on because another game is coming very quick.”

A knock to Oliver Skipp will be checked on, but Dejan Kulusevski is suspended for Bournemouth’s visit.