Ange Postecoglou is confident this transfer window will help Tottenham “inch forward to becoming the team we want to be”.
Spurs have allowed Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier – two stalwarts of the Mauricio Pochettino era – to leave while bringing in Romania centre-half Radu Dragusin from Genoa and Germany striker Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig.
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And while Postecoglou insists he has always been willing to call it “his team” after taking over in the summer, he admits he’s relishing pushing it closer to being the side he really wants it to be.
He said: “It’s been my team from day one. I take responsibility for my team since the day I arrived. [But] You need to have a change in personnel.
“Hugo [Lloris] left, Eric [Dier] moves on to another chapter in his career.
“It’s a constant evolution as we inch forward to becoming the team we want to be.”
Spurs have struggled defensively this season with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both suffering from injuries.
Van de Ven is fit again but Romero will miss Sunday’s trip to Manchester United.
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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 11, 2024
Pending the arrival of a work permit, Dragusin will make his debut at Old Trafford and Postecoglou is excited at his potential.
“He is a good fit for us from a football perspective,” added the Australian.
“He has some great attributes as a young player. Once we got down to the real detail for it, I thought he was the best option for us.
“He was our number one target. I like his defensive attributes and his physical attributes. We need more than two top centre-backs. He has come to a big club where he knows he has to compete to play. It will benefit the national team.”
Manchester United have been wildly inconsistent this season but Postecoglou remains wary of Erik ten Hag’s men.
“I think you go into these games expecting them to be at their best,” he said.
“They’ve been inconsistent, but when they play well they’re still a very, very good football side and they’ve certainly got some real quality right throughout their team.
“Particularly at Old Trafford, it’s going to be a difficult game. We’re expecting a tough game, a great challenge for us.”
