Ange Postecoglou’s next Tottenham transfer task for Daniel Levy matches Arsenal and Chelsea

Ange Postecoglou will be hoping that things start to pick up for Tottenham in the transfer market now that the club’s Asia-Pacific summer tour has come to an end. Securing a 5-1 win over Lion City Sailors on Wednesday in their final match in Singapore, Spurs have two friendlies remaining on the schedule before the 2023/24 Premier League season gets underway.

As important as it is that Daniel Levy secures another couple of incomings prior to the transfer deadline, with new centre-backs most certainly topping the list of priorities, outgoings are also vital. As things stand with just over two weeks until the new term commences, Harry Winks is the only player to depart Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so far.

Perhaps waiting for Postecoglou to cast his eye over the first-team squad before any final decisions are made and players head out the door, the fact we’re almost in August should start to see Spurs’ transfer activity ramp up. Taking a total of 31 players to Australia, Thailand and Singapore for the summer tour, the head coach was also without a further six as they remained behind at Hotspur Way.

With captain Hugo Lloris one of those staying in north London in order to explore prospective transfer opportunities, Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Bentancur, Bryan Gil and Troy Parrott were all absent through injury. That leaves Postecoglou with a total of 36 players at his disposal at present, as Josh Keeley, who was part of the club’s summer tour and has trained with the first team on occasions in the past, is really classed as an Under-21 player as he played 19 games in Premier League 2 last campaign.

Asked by football.london during the team’s time in Perth about the big numbers at the club and the need to trim the squad down to size, Postecoglou admitted that the things would need to change ahead of the season.

“Fair to say less than that,” he said on his perfect squad size. “I don’t think that’s helpful for anyone, the players included. That’s where things will transpire. My view has always been to treat everyone the same. Whether they’re going to be here short, medium or long term. At the moment they’re all part of our club so I don’t like to differentiate. We brought a group that are all healthy and fit and can play.

“Will they all be there at the start of the year? Unlikely, very unlikely, but that doesn’t mean I’ll treat them any differently now. That’s just the way I work. We’ll see. Obviously, the players themselves will look for opportunities elsewhere if they think they’re not going to get them here. Whenever that comes across my desk I’ll discuss it with the players and make a decision that’s best for all parties.”

Taking a look at Tottenham’s current squad, questions remain over where exactly players such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Davinson Sanchez, Bryan Gil, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga and Harvey White will be playing their football from September onwards. Harry Kane can also be added to the list at present amid plenty of speculation over a switch to Bayern Munich now that he is in the final year of his Spurs contract.

Loan spells seem the likeliest option for Dane Scarlett and Parrott, with Alfie Devine potentially another youngster who could depart on a temporary deal but Postecoglou may well have other ideas for him now after making an impression in pre-season. It’s imperative that Tottenham start prioritising outgoings, with other Premier League clubs also in a similar boat to Spurs at present.

Speaking in the early hours of Thursday morning following their 5-3 pre-season win over Barcelona in the United States, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also opened up on his big squad and deemed the current situation “unstainable”.

“Well, we have 30 players here which is unsustainable,” he stated. “Obviously, the market is still open and things can happen. We are prepared. I’m really happy with the squad we have at the moment. We have improvements to make in terms of what we want to do in games and we still have to do that. Overall really pleased with the team.”

Elsewhere in the US, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is with his Chelsea team in Atlanta, deemed his current Blues numbers as “massive” and admitted that a squad of between 22-24 players would suffice.

“It needs to be natural, you cannot force players in free time to go together and share things to do. That is more regular,” he said when asked about his squad gaining chemistry off the field. “First of all I think we need to define the squad as I think we are 29 players here and it is massive, the squad.

“At the moment the dynamic is very good, really good guys and they are sharing the time together. It is difficult because sometimes in every game three, four, five players cannot play and that is difficult because the mood is difficult. It is about creating a squad with good balance and people who have the opportunity to play and can compete for their place.

“That is a big job and challenge for us in the transfer window to build a good relationship and good balance and then okay, if players are not happy because they believe they are not going to play, we are going to find a solution with the club and fix the situation. What we cannot have is a massive squad, players not be involved and then it’s going to create a mess in the squad.

“Maybe less is more and more is less, it is not mathematic. That is why I need to make clear we don’t need a big squad. We need 22, 23, 24 players with some younger and that’s it. I am so sorry because maybe the decision will be tough but we need to build a good and a balanced team who want to compete for things.”

Balance is one thing Postecoglou and Tottenham need if they are move forward as a club as a bloated squad is no good for anyone. As Pochettino said in his post-match press conference, perhaps less is more.

Postecoglou will now have his fingers crossed that the team’s return from Asia will see Levy and Tottenham really step it up in the transfer market as the opening game away at Brentford is edging ever closer. As vital as defensive incomings are at present for Tottenham, transfer exits are also essential as the club plan for a brighter future.

Postecoglou’s 36-man Tottenham squad
Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario, Hugo Lloris, Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman, Brandon Austin

Defenders

Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga, Joe Rodon, Destiny Udogie, Sergio Reguilon, Ryan Sessegnon