Tottenham Hotspur 'monitoring 19-year-old League One defender'

The Lilywhites head to Sheffield United for this weekend's Premier League finale having seen their hopes of Champions League qualification dashed in a 2-0 midweek loss to Manchester City.

Ange Postecoglou's side only require a point to finish fifth and qualify for the Europa League, but a shock loss would open the door for Chelsea to bump the struggling Spurs down to sixth place.

Five of Tottenham's last six Premier League matches have now ended in defeat, and keeping the back door shut has been a problem for Spurs all season long, having shipped 61 goals in the current Premier League season.

Postecoglou's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 10 top-flight games, while their run without a home shut-out in the division stands at 15 matches since October's 2-0 triumph over Fulham.

Tottenham 'weighing up move for Thierry Small'

A left-back crisis has not helped Tottenham's end-of-season efforts, as Destiny Udogie, Ryan Sessegnon and Ben Davies are all sidelined with season-ending injuries, forcing Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal and Micky van de Ven to deputise in that area.

Seeking to rectify such concerns, Football Insider reports that the Lilywhites are contemplating a swoop for Charlton Athletic's Thierry Small, whom they have already tried and failed to sign before.

While on the books at Southampton, Small was supposedly the subject of an £800,000 bid from Tottenham in January 2023, which fell short of the Saints' £1.2m valuation.

After a year-long loan spell with St Mirren, the left-back eventually departed St Mary's on a free transfer for Charlton in February of this year, and he quickly made an impression in the third tier of English football.

Largely operating as a left wing-back, Small recorded one goal and one assist in 14 League One matches during the second half of the season, but the 19-year-old's contract only runs until the end of next season.

Which defenders could leave Tottenham this summer?

Charlton have the option to extend his contract by an additional 12 months, though, and they are also reported to have offered the former Everton starlet a three-year extension amid interest from Spurs.

However, a full-back slot could open up at Tottenham if the out-of-favour Emerson bids farewell this summer, having lost his spot at right-back to Pedro Porro midway through the 2022-23 season.

Originally Postecoglou's first-choice emergency option at left-back, Emerson has since been demoted back down to a bit-part role and is believed to be attracting interest from Italian giants AC Milan.

Davies's future is not set in stone either, as the Welshman had already fallen below Udogie in the left-back pecking order before picking up his injury and is due to become a free agent in 2025.

Millwall loanee Japhet Tanganga, meanwhile, is thought to have agreed a permanent move to the Championship side, while Djed Spence, Sergio Reguilon and Joe Rodon seemingly have no futures at Tottenham either.