Tottenham must obtain a replacement for Toby Alderweireld

If Tottenham are going to sell Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United for a massive transfer fee, Spurs must move quickly to acquire a replacement.

It seems that Manchester United and Tottenham have finally agreed to a fee for Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld. No matter how you feel about the move, Tottenham can’t sit back and count their money. The club must make a swift move to acquire a replacement for the classy Belgian.

English reports claim that Spurs will receive something in the neighborhood of £60 million from their Premier League rivals. In theory, that should be enough to purchase a quality centre back. The challenge is that Tottenham only have a few days to make a big move before the transfer window slams shut.

Spurs can’t let the time crunch serve as an excuse. Heading into the Premier League campaign without buying a replacement for Alderweireld would be transfer negligence. Tottenham are much too thin in their central defence to simply absorb his loss internally.

Fortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, he knows he can rely on Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez to be his starting pairing as long as the duo remain healthy. During Alderweireld’s injury/banishment last year, the two formed an excellent partnership. The challenge for Spurs will be purchasing a third centre back who can be trusted in case of injury or suspension.

At the moment, Juan Foyth would theoretically be the next man up. The young Argentine showed some real talent last season for Tottenham, but he isn’t physically or mentally ready to handle a full Premier League schedule. Foyth also happens to be injured at the moment. He can be trusted in Cup matches and fixtures against lesser clubs, but he’s not ready to step in and play against Champions League opposition.

The other option for Pochettino would be to move Eric Dier back to centre back on a permanent basis. The Spurs manager makes no secret of his belief that Dier is best deployed as a central defender. Unfortunately, Dier believes he’s a much better and more valuable player in the midfield. Trying to move him back to centre back might cause a rift between the player and his manager.

Tottenham fans might be upset to see Alderweireld go, but the higher-ups at Spurs can’t afford to take time to lament the loss. Instead, they have to move quickly to find a replacement before the transfer window slams shut. Anything less would be a huge failure for Levy.