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Ten players Tottenham Hotspur could sell under Ange Postecoglou

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 June 2023, 16:29
A new era and new slice of Premier League history is being written at Tottenham Hotspur, who hired Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old will become the first Australian to manage in the Premier League on the back of a successful two-year spell at Celtic, where his attractive, attack-minded approach yielded as many as five trophies, including a terrific treble in 2022-23.

Postecoglou's to-do list is lengthy to say the least, with Harry Kane's future, shoring up a leaky backline and bringing in the right playing personnel all top priorities, although the absence of a sporting director will do Spurs no favours in the transfer market until that matter is resolved.

In the meantime, Postecoglou is expected to rid Hotspur Way of deadwood as the Lilywhites prepare for a first season without European football in 13 years, and here Sports Mole takes a look at 10 players Tottenham could sell ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Hugo Lloris

With a total of 151 clean sheets to show from 447 games in a Tottenham jersey - putting him eighth in the club's all-time appearance charts - World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris should go down as one of the finest players to grace White Hart Lane and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League era.

However, not even the 36-year-old can argue that his powers have waned this season - a league-high four errors directly leading to goals is evidence of that - and he has already confirmed that he would be open to an exit ahead of the expiry of his contract in 2024.

Amid continued links with David Raya, Jordan Pickford and Edouard Mendy, Lloris could be the latest high-profile player to be tempted by a Saudi Arabia payday, but a return to boyhood club Nice also appeals to the Frenchman, who would depart as one of Spurs' all-time great goalkeepers despite not having a single trophy to show for it.

Brandon Austin

Lloris's 447 senior appearances for Tottenham is 447 more than fourth-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin, who has been waiting very patiently for his Lilywhites inauguration without much success.

The 24-year-old only got as far as the bench during Lloris's enforced absence with a season-ending hip injury, as Fraser Forster held the fort as the last line of defence, while his fellow fringe stopper Alfie Whiteman recently committed his future to the club until 2025 - seemingly happy with his peripheral role.

Despite a public vote of confidence from Cristian Stellini, Austin's only competitive match in 2022-23 came in an Under-21s win over West Ham United in the Premier League 2 last month, and with the 24-year-old's deal also up in the summer of 2024, a parting of the ways seems likely lest he continue to limit his future prospects.

Joe Rodon

Hopes were high when Tottenham captured a fresh-faced Joe Rodon from Swansea City in the summer of 2020, but barring a few fleeting appearances under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, the Wales international has been largely forgotten about.

With the aim of reigniting his career before the World Cup, Rodon joined Rennes on a season-long loan and managed one goal in 22 games for the Ligue 1 club - only two fewer appearances than he has managed for Tottenham since 2020 - but he played in just two of Les Rogues et Noir's final 15 matches.

Rennes have since confirmed that they will not be taking up their option of a permanent deal for Rodon, whose deal at Tottenham has another two years left to run, and it is not impossible to envisage the centre-back seeking pastures new with Euro 2024 in mind.

Japhet Tanganga

Japhet Tanganga's man-of-the-match displays against Middlesbrough in 2020 and Manchester City in 2021 now seem an age ago, with the versatile and injury-plagued defender now struggling to get a look-in at all.

In the wake of a serious knee issue which prematurely ended his 2021-22 season, Tanganga largely managed to stay fit this time around, but he played just 146 minutes of Premier League football and 343 in total across all competitions.

Due to Conte's previous faith in him, Spurs are believed to have rebuffed interest from Italian clubs to keep hold of Tanganga in January, but the Englishman should be one of the first names on the chopping block this time around.

Davinson Sanchez

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka enjoyed an unexpected redemption arc after being booed by his own fans several years ago, but a similar slice of atonement will surely elude Tottenham's Davinson Sanchez.

The Colombian was called upon by Stellini during April's loss to Bournemouth, playing just 23 minutes as a substitute before being taken off to a cacophony of jeers from the home crowd - ugly scenes akin to nothing that captain Lloris had ever seen before.

Sanchez was subsequently benched out of sympathy at Newcastle United before being thrown into the deep end to prevent the scoreline becoming any more embarrassing, and Sevilla - who have often dipped into the Tottenham market - could now apparently offer him an escape route from his North London nightmare.

Ivan Perisic

No Tottenham player provided more assists in the 2022-23 season than Ivan Perisic, whose arrival on a free transfer from Inter Milan was initially tipped to be a masterstroke, in spite of his advancing years.

The Croatian veteran set up a team-high 12 goals last term - eight of which came in the Premier League - but his defensive qualities were called into question time and time again, either as a wing-back or out-and-out full-back; a role which certainly does not suit him at all.

Furthermore, Destiny Udogie will endeavour to enjoy a breakthrough season under Postecoglou next term, and with the Australian favouring a 4-3-3 shape out of possession, Perisic's Premier League sojourn may be cut short.

Sergio Reguilon

Having been named the best left-back in La Liga during the 2019-20 season, where he also became a Europa League winner with Sevilla, Sergio Reguilon was tipped to hit the ground running upon his arrival in the English capital.

Things have not quite panned out that way for the Spaniard, though, and his loan spell at Atletico Madrid is best consigned to the history books; Reguilon made just 12 appearances for Diego Simeone's side, although a groin injury and admission to hospital for an "acute digestive condition" did not help his cause.

With two goals and nine assists to show from 67 games in a Spurs shirt, it would be fair to say that Reguilon has not had the desired impact in North London, and where the 26-year-old may be plying his trade next season is currently anybody's guess.

Tanguy Ndombele

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may have had one or two sleepless nights thinking about the club-record cheque he wrote out to Lyon for Tanguy Ndombele, whose time in North London has been nothing short of nightmarish.

Granted, pressure will weigh heavily on the shoulders of even the most Stoic players when they surge to the top of their team's transfer fee list, but Ndombele has done very little to justify his £53m price tag, and two underwhelming loan spells with Lyon and Napoli means that his stock is continuing to fall.

Ndombele will leave Naples with a Serie A winners' medal in his suitcase, and while there are whispers that he will be given the opportunity to prove himself under Postecoglou, this summer may be Levy's last chance to recoup a respectable fee for the Frenchman.

Harry Winks

One could not help but feel slightly sorry for Harry Winks in 2022-23, as the Englishman - who was once considered Tottenham's starboy - conceded that no one from the club had been in contact with him during his loan spell with doomed Italian side Sampdoria.

Winks later clarified that his comments were in regard to the 2023-24 season, and despite recovering from surgery to play a prominent role for Sampdoria in the second half of the season, he could not prevent the Blucerchiati's inevitable relegation to Serie B.

A new operation on his ankle injury is now believed to be pencilled in, which could hinder his chances of making an impression under Postecoglou this summer, and a move elsewhere would seemingly benefit both parties before his contract expires next year.

Giovani Lo Celso

Having been a key cog in Villarreal's trailblazing team under Unai Emery - reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season - Giovani Lo Celso sought to pick up where he left off at La Ceramica with a season-long loan this time around.

Two goals and three assists from 29 games was a respectable return, but the Argentine was only named in the starting XI on 14 occasions in La Liga, while also being forced to miss his nation's World Cup triumph due to a torn muscle.

Seemingly a favourite of Emery, a reunion with the Spaniard at Aston Villa could be on the cards for Lo Celso, but Postecoglou may still find a place for the versatile 27-year-old in his setup.

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