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Tottenham ponder recalling promising loanee amid defensive injury crisis

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Jainil Shah | Last updated Dec 13, 2024 5:53 PM ET

Tottenham Hotspur have incurred steep injury problems of late as the North Londoners have been struggling to keep up with the intensity of the games with players falling like flies, especially in the defensive quadrant, and the Lilywhites have been pondering a possible loan recall for Ashley Phillips from his loan spell at Stoke City as the Australian head coach, Ange Postecoglou, looks for a way out.

The North Londoners first-choice defensive duo, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, has been dealing with consistent injury problems in the ongoing campaign, and this has left Spurs short of options at the heart of defence.

While Radu Dragusin has stepped up and is playing some decent football, he lacks a partner following Ben Davies’s injury, and that is where Ashley Phillips comes in…

Spurs to re-call Ashley Phillips?

Tottenham are looking at a possible option to recall Ashley Phillips in the winter transfer window following his impressive form for Stoke City, per The Standard, with the Lilywhites having a clause to recall the defender.

Ange Postecoglou took a big gamble by starting both Romero and Van de Ven against Chelsea at the weekend, and the way things played out—Spurs may have lost both players till early January 2025.

Spurs have used Archie Gray, originally a midfielder turned into a right back; however, he is not a natural defender, and Ange needs to resolve this problem.

Alongside recalling Phillips, another possible option for the North Londoners is to dip in the market in the upcoming winter transfer window with rumours surrounding a possible £50m move for Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi.

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It is to be seen what options Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy prefer when the January window comes around.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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