OPINION
Tottenham are set to enter the transfer market this summer as manager Mauricio Pochettino seeks to touch up a few areas of the first-team squad.
The north London club boast a squad packed full of quality in each position, as showcased in their displays at the latter part of the 2016-17 Premier League season, but their squad depth remains an issue.
Pochettino saw his resources depleted at times last season due to injury concerns, and he could look to add one or two new players to his ranks this summer.
One particular area of concern will be the centre of defence, and the lack of top quality cover for first-choice pairing Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
Kevin Wimmer is the current backup option, while full-back Ben Davies and versatile defensive-midfielder Eric Dier have also been utilised as centre-back options.
However, a summer move for Hull City’s Harry Maguire was also speculated, with Tottenham reportedly one of several clubs fronting the queue for his signature after Hull’s relegation to the Championship.
The Standard had claimed in April that Tottenham were considering an approach for the 24-year-old, who was valued by Hull at between £12million and £15million, despite having just 12 months left on his contract.
However, it was confirmed on Thursday that Premier League rivals Leicester City had won the race to sign Maguire, and that he would sign for the Foxes in a deal worth £17million.
Tottenham might be feeling as though they have missed out on a future Premier League star and defensive prospect, one that was capable of fulfilling numerous roles in their defence and tactical line-up.
But they should not feel hard done by at all, because the £17million fee would have been a staggering financial outlay for the club considering he would not be a first-team regular at the club – at least straight away.
Pochettino made a number of errors in the transfer market a year ago, spending large sums of money on the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, who have all struggled.
Aside from the financial restrictions placed on the club by chairman Daniel Levy, throwing another £17million on a backup player – or intermittent first-team player – could have been proven a costly error.
The Argentine will instead perhaps feel more inclined to narrow his search for a backup defender to within a much more reasonable price range, and there won’t be any shortage of options.