Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou discussed how he plans to navigate the challenges that lie ahead of their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, considering the absence of key players.
Postecoglou will face the upcoming fixtures without three crucial players—captain Heung-Min Son and midfielders Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr—as they depart for mid-season international tournaments. Son will represent South Korea in the Asian Cup, while Bissouma and Sarr will play for Mali and Senegal, respectively, in the Africa Cup of Nations. This could potentially leave Spurs without these key players for a significant part of January and possibly early February.
The absence of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and Rodrigo Bentancur, coupled with the departure of the trio, will create a challenging situation for Tottenham. Postecoglou acknowledged the significance of these players in the team’s plans, stating, “Yeah, if we get the outcomes it will be. But it’s going to be a challenging month for us because you’re talking about three players in Pape, Biss, and Sonny who have been very important to what we’re trying to build.”
He expressed concern about the potential impact of these absences, especially considering the importance of the trio. Postecoglou also mentioned the challenge of the January transfer window, emphasizing the difficulty of swiftly securing deals during this period. He stated, “We’ve got Maddison, Van de Ven, and Rodrigo Bentancur – really significant players who are missing – so fingers crossed the guys we’ve got at the moment stay healthy through that period. It’s going to be a challenging period, and January is always a difficult transfer window to get things done, particularly quickly, so I think we’re preparing ourselves for that.”