Spurs told January signing ‘is not going to happen’ with Everton benchwarmer a ‘definite’ alternative | OneFootball

Amadou Onana and Ben Godfrey during a match.

Everton defender Ben Godfrey is a serious option for Tottenham and there is “truth” in the rumours that Ange Postecoglou is looking at him, according to a journalist.

A new centre-back is the priority for the Spurs boss ahead of the January transfer window.

Postecoglou’s starting back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie is a great defence on its day, but there is an alarming lack of depth, which has already been exposed this season.

Van de Ven has been injured since the home defeat to Chelsea on November 6. Udogie and Romero were also sent off in that game and with all three absent, or even just Romero – who received a three-game ban to Udogie’s one – and Van de Ven, Spurs have looked very exposed defensively.

Eric Dier is clearly not rated very highly by Postecoglou and while Ben Davies is a decent player, he is hardly a centre-back in a back four.

So, yes, a new central defender is a big priority for Spurs with the transfer window weeks away from being open.

Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly has been strongly linked with the north Londoners – who tried and failed to sign him on deadline day.

Kelly – who is tickling the fancy of many teams – is out of contract at the end of the season and it looks like interested clubs are going to wait until then to try and land him on a free transfer.

This has opened the door for the signing of Godfrey, who will surely be much easier to attain.

The 25-year-old has only played one minute in the Premier League this season with Everton boss Sean Dyche preferring Jarrod Branthwaite and James Tarkowski at the back.

, transfer journalist Dean Jones says they are genuinely keen on signing Godfrey with Kelly unlikely to join mid-season.

“Yes, there is definitely truth to it,” Jones told GiveMeSport. “Ben Godfrey is looking for opportunities to move and Tottenham are certainly one of the clubs that are looking at that deal.

“I’d heard a while back that they were looking at Lloyd Kelly but that deal is so difficult to do now.

“Bournemouth don’t want to lose him first and foremost and secondly, it’s going to cost a lot now. Yeah, I just don’t think that Kelly one is going to happen.

“With that in mind, I think Godfrey does become more of an option.

“There are other possibilities here too and we have to consider that Tottenham are changing the model and the way that they look at signings.

“So I don’t think this is done or anything. But in terms of whether those rumours are true, I do believe them to be.”

Meanwhile, transfer expert David Ornstein has said signing a new centre-back is Ange’s “priority”, with an attacker also a possibility.

“Centre-back is the priority, and then potentially an attacker,” he said.

“You will have seen the Jota reports – I have no fresh update on him but it shows Tottenham are considering multiple options.

“There may be little money to spend but that doesn’t mean Spurs cannot be creative to strengthen their squad.

“On the centre-back I don’t actually think it requires someone like Dier to leave (which I did previously) but let’s see what the club’s new-look recruitment team, in conjunction with Postecoglou, Munn and Levy, manage to do.”