Tottenham hasn’t resolved transfer priority heading into pivotal week

Crunch time is approaching as Tottenham’s most pressing transfer business remains unresolved, with Micky van de Ven and Edmond Tapsoba waiting in the wings. 

Spurs leave for Australia on Friday, commencing their pre-season tour, a crucial time for players and coaches to train collectively and iron out the countless kinks.

While Spurs deserve credit for signing Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, and Manor Solomon — who is in London for Monday’s medical — pressure is starting to mount regarding the club’s ponderous approach to signing a bonafide starting centre back.

Just less than a week ago, Tottenham was on the verge of signing Wolfsburg’s van de Ven before the airwaves went silent.

With Spurs’ interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Tapsoba superseding their desire to sign van de Ven, negotiations with Wolfsburg stagnated.

Spurs’ stance is clear. Tapsoba is their first-choice target. And while the decision to pursue Tapsoba is logical, even the right choice, it leaves the club vulnerable to losing out on both centre backs.

Spurs have tellingly yet to make an official bid for Tapsoba, the most disconcerting aspect of this entire back and forth. Surely the club, knowing the importance of signing an elite centre-back, should have by now submitted an official bid for their desired target.

Daniel Levy better hope that van de Ven is still available if their pursuit of Tapsoba falls through. Even more crucially, Tottenham’s chairman, due to his playing-the-field strategy, better not create an irreparable rift with Wolfsburg’s executives.

Because let’s be clear, Tottenham is not the only potential destination for van de Ven.

The 22-year-old Dutchman is a highly sought-after central defender. While he’s not the finished article, several teams are following his current situation.

While leaving for Australia without signing a central defender wouldn’t be catastrophic, it would hamper Tottenham’s pre-season progress.

Not only would it decrease the time the new centre-back gets to train with his new teammates, learn from the new gaffer, and adapt to the new environment, but it will also heap pressure on the club to get a deal done.

Entering the 2023-24 campaign without a new centre-back isn’t an option for Spurs, who conceded 63 goals last season, the most since 2017-18. Eric Dier is in purgatory, placing a heightened impetus on finding a complementary partner for Cristian Romero.

Levy is playing a dangerous, highly risky game with its two-timing-floozy antics. The club has made it clear that it will not sign both centre backs.

So he needs to commit and get either deal done. If it’s Tapsoba he wants, then pony up and pay the £50 million it will cost.

If not, secure van de Ven’s signature promptly.

Otherwise, Spurs risk being left out in the cold on both exciting talents. And that inconceivable outcome would indeed qualify as a catastrophe.