Vertonghen injury may push Tottenham into transfer market

Lost in the aftermath of Tottenham’s thrilling 3-1 comeback win at Crystal Palace is the injury to centre back Jan Vertonghen

There were plenty of thrilling moments for Tottenham today in their win at Selhurst park, but they may have been dealt a crucial blow in their march towards the top four. If Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen is lost for any length of time, Spurs must plunge into the transfer market for a replacement.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted after the match that Vertonghen was still in some pain, but his status wouldn’t be known until an assessment tomorrow. He came off in the 75th minute after a coming together with Palace striker Connor Wickham that saw him struggling with a knock to both his knee and head. Wickham may face discipline for his shot to Vertonghen’s face, but it’s the knee that should have Spurs fans more concerned.

While it’s too early to jump to any conclusion regarding the severity of Vertonghen’s injury, Tottenham must be feverishly looking at transfer targets in the event that he will miss serious time. There simply aren’t suitable replacement options on the current roster.

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Tottenham only has two senior backup central defenders and neither is ready to be Toby Alderweireld’s every game partner. Federico Fazio, the more experienced of the pair, was all but certain to be sold before today’s injury to Vertonghen. He cannot be counted on in any way, shape or form given the form he’s displayed this year.

The other option, Kevin Wimmer, has a bright future at Tottenham but isn’t ready to be counted on so heavily as of yet. It’s worth noting he did a solid job in relief of Vertonghen against Palace, but it’s also the first Premier League action he’s ever seen. Counting on him to start every week alongside Alderweireld would be a huge roll of the dice.