Tottenham should consider keeping academy graduate after impressive Championship loan | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to launch an assault on the transfer market this summer as the Ange Postecoglou rebuild continues.

Defensive reinforcement is a priority for the Australian manager, whose backline has been plagued with injuries this season.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven form a solid partnership in front of Guglielmo Vicario. However, Van de Ven has already missed 12 games with a hamstring problem.

Spurs were considered title contenders after flying out of the blocks earlier this season, but the wheels began to fall off after the Dutchman’s initial setback.

Spurs lost four of the initial nine games Van de Ven missed (W4, D1).

By contrast, they’ve only lost twice in 21 games (W14, D5) when the 23-year-old is on the pitch, highlighting his importance to Postecoglou’s gung-ho brand of football.

Spurs are in the market for a solid Van de Ven back-up, but the perfect solution to the issue could come from their academy.

Tottenham should keep Japhet Tanganga

Japhet Tanganga struggled to assert himself in the Spurs starting line-up as a combination of form and a lack of regular game time stunted his development.

However, his promising loan spell at Millwall should be enough to earn him a place in Postecoglou’s plans, even if only as a back-up to Romero and Van de Ven.

The defensive crisis forced Spurs to splash out around £26 million to sign Radu Dragusin from Genoa. But the Romanian is still finding his feet in the Premier League despite his undeniable talent.

Tanganga’s performances for Millwall should earn him a recall, allowing Spurs to divert funds to other key areas of the squad that require reinforcement.

Having made 50 appearances for Spurs, the 25-year-old boasts considerable Premier League experience that could be useful. He will also help the club meet the quota for homegrown players.

Tanganga has been consistent for Millwall, averaging 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 3.3 recoveries, and 3.3 clearances per match while winning 54% of his total duels.

He has also notched two goals and kept four clean sheets in 16 Championship appearances.

The Englishman has been a rock in the Lions’ defence, helping the club steer clear of relegation, and could be a solid squad member for Spurs at no cost.

Stats from Sofascore.com & Transfermarkt.com.