Why are Tottenham on the Hunt for a Left-back?

Even as the hunt to acquire a backup striker intensifies, rumors about Tottenham’s interest in another young left-back simmer in the background.

The Evening Standard reports that the club might enter into a bidding war with Arsenal for Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell before the January transfer window wraps up on Monday. Previously the club were also reported to be monitoring the progress of Walsall youngster Rico Henry, another left-back.

By all accounts these are two immensely promising stars-to-be, with Henry even being compared to former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole. They would be valuable additions for just about any side.

The problem, of course, is that Tottenham already have two left-backs, both of which are fighting for starting berths week in and week out for the club as is. Danny Rose – 25 – and Ben Davies – 22 – have both evolved by leaps and bounds this season, even if Pochettino doesn’t seem to believe either are absolute locks in the position. They’ve almost evenly split the available minutes so far, with Rose starting in 12 Premier League games and Davies in 11.

Such back-and-forth has made the left-back spot at Tottenham the most rotated in the entire squad. While the remainder of the starting XI is predictable week-to-week, how Pochettino chooses between Rose and Davies is occasionally difficult to parse out.

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He seems to favor Davies in situations where the opposition might attempt to play wider, and Rose in the matches that should be a bit more narrow.

But as the former’s offensive capabilities have blossomed this season, and the latter continues to improve his defensive game, that dividing line seems to be more and more arbitrary.

Perhaps the real issue is that Pochettino doesn’t feel like he can trust either left-back quite yet for the full-time job. Both have made some mistakes this season, perhaps at a marginally greater rate than the rest of the team, but has it really come to restocking the position outright?

While both players might feel a bit threatened by moves for either Chilwell or Henry, their fears might be quelled a bit by the fact that the two players are 19 and 18 respectively.

Neither, should they be brought in, would do so as presumptive starters or even bench players. Indeed, they would likely slot right into a Tottenham under-21 team that has been playing a winger – Anthony Georgiou – in the left-back position all season.

That’s among the only positions Tottenham is lacking in its academy, and paying a relatively paltry sum to fill that void for the next season or two is likely considered worth it for the powers that be.

Next: Tottenham Table £5m for Moussa Dembélé

Does that mean that Rose and Davies’ jobs are safe? No. `Should either player sign for Tottenham though, it’s not something the pair need to worry about this season, or maybe even next. Those two – along with everyone else at the club – simply need to digest the fact that this is now a club that will always be building for the future, even if it means singing some egos along the way.