While Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has succeeded in breathing optimism back into the club after a dreary culmination to Antonio Conte’s period at the club, there is much work to be done before the Australian’s vision reaches its apotheosis.
When Conte was dismissed back in March – the fourth Spurs sacking in as many years – the future looked rather bleak as the side sank further into midtable mediocrity, with the eighth-placed finish resulting in Harry Kane’s sale to Bayern Munich.
A stunning start to the Premier League campaign handed the craggy-faced Australian a trio of Manager of the Month awards, but injuries and suspensions wreaked havoc on Spurs’ season and a five-match winless run halted the budding title challenge.
Nonetheless, Tottenham are showing promising signs and Postecoglou understands the potential that his players can still harness.
His expertise will count for nothing without several powerful signings in 2024 to close the gap on those at the forefront of English football, and January presents the perfect opportunity to shore up the defence.
Tottenham transfer news – Trevoh Chalobah
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham could make a shock move to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah in January, with the 24-year-old also attracting attention from Crystal Palace.
Having been subject of a last-gasp £25m bid from Nottingham Forest in the summer, with Spurs also probing for an unlikely late deal, Chalobah ultimately opted to remain at Stamford Bridge, rejecting the Tricky Trees.
But Spurs have seemingly remained intrigued in landing the versatile defender and could entice Chelsea with a winter offer, with Mauricio Pochettino’s outfit open to Chalobah’s departure.
Trevoh Chalobah’s 2022/23 season by numbers
While Chalobah has been deemed surplus to requirements under Pochettino’s management, he was an important member of the struggling squad of 2022/23 – some might say, he was one of the better performers across an abject year.
Described as a “soldier” by former Chelsea manager Graham Potter, Chalobah has chalked up 63 appearances for the Blues, scoring four goals, and indeed started to rise in importance last year.
As per Sofascore, the £50k-per-week titan made 25 showings during the 2022/23 Premier League term and completed 89% of his passes as he rotated between central defence and right-back, making 1.2 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game and succeeding with a noteworthy 89% of his dribbles and 63% of his ground duels.
Alas, while he offered promise, injury and an absence of confidence from his new manager have meant that he has yet to feature this year.
CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs has suggested that Spurs could offer the player a lifeline and perhaps Postecoglou has been attracted to the proposition of signing a player with Premier League experience and a range of abilities – dynamism that would slot right into his system.
Trevoh Chalobah’s style of play
Chalobah has been noted to have a preference for short passes but this is by no means a bad thing, with the 6 foot 3 star succeeding in providing confidence and steady support to those in the midfield.
In pushing for fluency throughout the passages of the pitch, this could be crucial, with his crispness and intelligence allowing the likes of Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma to calmly collect and distribute to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
His aptitude as a ball-winning and carrying machine is also among the standout attributes within his repertoire, and when examining such skills, Postecoglou’s vested attention in his signature becomes clearer.
As per FBref, Chalobah ranks among the top 9% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 15% for passes attempted, the top 11% for progressive carries, the top 10% for successful take-ons and the top 16% for tackles per 90.
Trevoh Chalobah: Similar Players
Player
Club
Piero Hincapie
Bayer Leverkusen
Danilo Pereira
Paris Saint-Germain
Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool
Armando Izzo
Monza
Josko Gvardiol
Manchester City
*Sourced via FBref
Effectively, such metrics showcase a ball-playing ability that is suited to Postecoglou’s style, while also an eager progressor of the ball and a creative defender with a willingness to take risks and penetrate the opposition’s centre to contribute effectively toward transitions.
The same, candidly, cannot be said for some of Spurs’ current defensive options, with a winter transfer for Chalobah potentially ending Eric Dier’s doomed career at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
How Trevoh Chalobah could fit in at Tottenham
It’s perhaps somewhat harsh to paint Dier in too dark a light; the England international has been a devoted servant to the club since signing from Sporting Lisbon for just £4m in 2014, having completed 362 appearances and become a prominent name on the Premier League scene.
But he was at the epicentre of the Lilywhites’ struggles last season – Tottenham conceded 63 goals in the league, less than only the bottom three and promoted sides Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
Branded a “liability” by writer Mitch Fretton, the 29-year-old’s contract at Tottenham is up in June and it’s almost a certainty at this point that he will not receive a renewal; he may even depart in January – though this is dependent on Spurs’ success in the winter transfer market.
Dier is tenacious and commanding on his day but simply doesn’t offer the kind of passing prowess that Postecoglou strives for, and has only started once in the Premier League this season despite the recent absences of star defensive duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
To evidence this, he ranks among the bottom 46% of positional peers for pass completion, the bottom 8% for progressive passes per 90, the bottom 17% for progressive carries and the bottom 15% for successful take-ons per 90.
Dier’s been a stalwart for Tottenham and he must be remembered fondly for his contribution over the past years, during a time that has brought some of the club’s best memories of modern times.
But Postecoglou has big ambitions and a certain ruthlessness is necessary to rise to the fore, competing against Europe’s heaviest hitters.