Tottenham 'consider' intriguing Ligue 1 transfer raid and loan recall amid deepening injury crisis
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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for French midfielder Andy Diouf in the January transfer window. He currently plays for Ligue 1 side RC Lens and is rumoured to have been watched by Spurs’ scouts in recent matches.
Diouf, 21, has made 16 appearances this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist for Lens, who currently sit seventh in Ligue 1.
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Hide AdAccording to GiveMeSport, Spurs are monitoring the central midfielder who can also play in a slightly more attacking role.
The report suggests Tottenham sent scouts to watch Diouf in a Europa Conference League match against Greek side Panathinaikos in August and have been keeping tabs on him ever since.
The 21-year-old signed for Lens in 2023 for a fee of £13m and the French club will likely demand a much higher fee than that due to Diouf’s high potential.
Spurs aren’t the only Premier League club that have a reported interest in signing Diouf, with Crystal Palace and West Ham United also mentioned in the report.
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Hide AdDiouf’s Lens teammate also attracting reported Spurs interest
The midfielder isn’t the only Lens player that Ange Postecoglou, with Abdukodir Khusanov also emerging as a potential target.
Khusanov, 20, plays as a centre-back, which has emerged as a position of need for Postecoglou this season due to injury issues with both Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
In their last game against Rangers, the Spurs boss was forced to play Radu Dragusin and 18-year-old Archie Gray at centre-back, despite Gray being a more natural midfielder.
GMS reported that Spurs are considering making a move for Khusanov to help with the team’s depth in defence. However, they reportedly face competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
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Hide AdTottenham consider loan recall amid centre-back injury crisis
Following the issues that Postecoglou has faced at centre-back, Spurs are reportedly considering recalling defender Ashley Phillips back from his current loan spell.
Phillips, 19, is on loan at Championship side Stoke City, but according to the Standard, Spurs are considering triggering the loan recall clause in Phillip’s contract in January to help ease the pressure in defence.
The defender has made 10 Championship appearances this season and also has made three appearances in the EFL Cup, scoring a goal against Premier League side Southampton in the third round.
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