Tottenham to buy ‘new defender’ in January after Van de Ven blow as Paratici ‘pulls the strings’

Joe Williams
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven comes off injured against Chelsea.

Tottenham will look to buy a new centre-back in the January transfer window after Micky van de Ven picked up an injury, according to reports.

The Netherlands international picked up a serious-looking hamstring injury in Spurs’ 4-1 loss at home to Chelsea on Monday night in the Premier League.

Van de Ven was helped off the field by two members of the Tottenham medical team and left the stadium on crutches, raising concerns that he could face a long spell on the sidelines.

The Dutchman will undergo tests over the next few days as Spurs staff attempt to ascertain the extent of his injury with definitive assessments usually made around 48-72 hours after the incident.

Van de Ven is set for a scan as soon as the swelling has subsided but the Evening Standard claims that Tottenham ‘will target a new left-sided centre-half in January as they await to discover the extent’ of the former Wolfsburg defender’s injury.

He has been a revelation in the Tottenham backline alongside Cristian Romero this season after joining from Wolfsburg in the summer transfer window in a deal worth around €50m.

READ MORE: Spurs trio, City duo, Liverpool and Arsenal new boys in Prem’s best new signing XI

Spurs had only conceded ten Premier League goals all season before Van de Ven departed the pitch on Monday with a Nicolas Jackson hat-trick sealing the points for London rivals Chelsea.

Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly – who is also a reported target for Premier League rivals Liverpool – is ‘expected to be the subject of fresh interest’ in January with Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou calling ‘for the club to do their January business early and signing a new defender has taken on more urgency’.

The Cherries are ‘braced for a fresh approach’ from Tottenham for Kelly with the centre-back – who can also cover the left side of defence – expected to be ‘available for a cut-price fee’ because he’s in the final year of his contract.

Football Insider claim that former Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici ‘remains heavily involved at the club despite resigning in April’ after he was forced to step back because of his 30-month worldwide ban from football-related activities.

But a source has told Football Insider that the Italian is still ‘pulling all the strings’ in terms of recruitment at Tottenham – who have the eighth highest net spend in the Premier League in 2023 – with chairman Daniel Levy using him as a ‘consultant’.

Levy has come to ‘trust’ his judgement on transfers with the Tottenham chairman impressed by their ‘outstanding’ recruitment record during Paratici’s time at the club.