(Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur are “playing with fire” if the North London club do not sign new recruits during the January transfer window, manager Ange Postecoglou said as the injury-hit squad continues to struggle in the Premier League.
Spurs are a lowly 15th in the standings, closer to the relegation zone than European competition spots after just one win in their last 10 games, which include seven losses.
The club have the longest injury list in the league, however, with 12 players sidelined including record signing Dominic Solanke. The English striker is expected to miss six weeks of action due to a knee injury.
Postecoglou drafted many youngsters into the team to deal with the injury crisis and said he has had daily discussions with the club’s technical director Johan Lange about “trying to get some help for the players” by dipping into the market.
“I’m not out there trying to find opportunities for the club, that’s not my role at this time. There isn’t time to do it,” Postecoglou told reporters.
“I don’t think I’m stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous. This playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that.
“We’re sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in, but the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation.”
Despite the club’s woeful run of form, Spurs have retained faith in Postecoglou after he guided the team to the semi-finals of the League Cup where they lead Liverpool 1-0 after the first leg. The return leg is at Anfield on Feb. 6.
Spurs have also been boosted by Cristian Romero’s return to training while his centre back partner Micky van de Ven is also expected to be ready before the second leg.
“Of the long-terms (injuries), they are the only two who have a chance of that week, but we’ve still got 12 days or something,” Postecoglou said.
“Part of that process is to see how they cope with training over the next week or so. Both of them are scheduled around that sort of time to be available.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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