Tottenham considering move for Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo in January

With Tottenham's injury crisis, the need for the club to reinforce the squad in the January transfer window becomes increasingly important. Defense is an area Ange Postecoglou and sporting director Johan Lange will look to strengthen in the wake of Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury. Fresh links surfaced this morning, with Football.London's Rob Guest reporting that Tottenham held talks with Nice over the transfer of CB Jean-Clair Todibo.

Todibo has been a rock for Nice this season. Since joining the club permanently in 2021, he has made the starting XI 97 times, only picking up suspensions twice in that span. This season, manager Francesco Farioli has made the Frenchman a key player. They currently sit second in Ligue 1, only five points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Todibo is already a capped international, making his French national team debut in September in a friendly against Germany. He completed a full 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss. Simon Jones at the Daily Mail wrote the player is keen to join Tottenham in the window.

Currently valued at £30.2m on Transfermarkt, Todibo would be a strong fit in Postecoglou's set-up. His composure in big moments and fairly clean discipline record would provide serious depth and stability to the team.

With such a good value, Tottenham will have to work fast to beat other clubs to Todibo's signature. He is rumored to be linked with Manchester United and Newcastle United, both looking to reinforce their teams for the top 4 race sure to follow after their respective eliminations from the Champions League.

Postecoglou has preached the importance of getting signings in fast but has yet to see how Tottenham's transfer business will operate with Lange and chief football officer Scott Munn now in place. Fabio Paratici, while banned by FIFA, is still working in a consultancy role with the club. This summer, the organization was operating without a director of football, leading to more last-minute deals, which included van de Ven.

Defense is a critical area for Postecoglou's tactics. The high line leaves a lot of space in behind, meaning defenders have to be quick to spring back on counters. There is no doubt the next center-back signing will have pace similar to van de Ven's. Also, with Cristian Romero's physical style making him prone to yellow cards and further suspensions, having more defensive reinforcements would be wise. Ashley Phillips, 18, is still dealing with an injury he picked up in the last international cycle, and Eric Dier, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is not favored by Postecoglou.

Spurs are also linked with Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Genoa's Radu Dragusin as potential defensive signings for January. All eyes will be on the club when the window opens, especially with a new recruitment structure in place.