Why Tottenham are interested in signing another centre-back this summer

The Morgan Gibbs-White saga has seemingly frozen Johan Lange. Since Nottingham Forest's tantrum was reported, Spurs have been thrust into a state of inactivity.

The absence of arrivals is largely down to our inability to offload players. A few have been released and a couple have departed on loan, including centre-back Ashley Phillips, but this remains a fairly bloated squad.

And despite the departure of Phillips, Frank currently looks well-stocked of options at the heart of his defence. An improvement out of possession has to be one of the Dane's key aims at the start of his tenure, with most great projects leaning on sturdy foundations at the base.

In Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Spurs boast one of Europe's premier centre-back partnerships when they're both fit, which, admittedly, hasn't been all that common over the past couple of years. Behind them, Kevin Danso is an able deputy and we know Ben Davies is a reliable number four option. 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic is already worryingly good, and Kota Takai has offered promise for the Japanese national team. Oh, and Radu Dragusin should be back from a long-term injury before the end of the year.

We look pretty well set, right? Wrong. According to various reports, Spurs remain in the market for another centre-half this summer, and we're not talking about another depth option here. There have been links to premier talent, the kind that garner hefty fees.

Why Tottenham are interested in high-profile CB

Among our reported targets are Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and Bournemouth's Illia Zabarnyi, although Fabrizio Romano has poured cold water over our apparent pursuit of the latter. Nevertheless, these are two defenders who wouldn't be willing to play second fiddle. Both are valued in excess of £60m.

I wouldn't be against either defender signing, but why would the club be willing to dedicate a considerable proportion of their summer kitty to a position that currently appears well set?

The additions of Takai and Vuskovic (as well as Danso in January) have alleviated the issue of utilising Archie Gray alongside Dragusin or Davies in defence. Depth is not a problem, even if Takai is an unknown commodity.

For me, the pursuit of a high-value centre-back points towards the expected departure of Romero either later this summer or next year (with the assumption that he won't sign a new contract). The club may well be getting their succession plan through the door early.

However, the optimist inside believes Romero falls in love with Frank, and he pens an extension before the end of the year. Let me dream, okay!

Tactically, Frank's willingess to shift to a back five could perhaps make another addition necessary, but I still think we have the personnel to cope. Danso is a great fit for one of the wide centre-back roles in a three, while Davies has plenty of back-three experience for the Welsh national team.

I'd understand the pursuit of a versatile defender capable of performing multiple roles in Frank's backline, but Guehi nor Zabarnyi are that profile. Jorrel Hato could've been a good option, but, of course, he's going to Chelsea. Like every other footballer on the planet.

An under-the-radar acquisition of a Swiss Army knife-type wouldn't go amiss, but the big bucks should be dedicated towards the passer/destroyer midfield utopia, and a potential Richarlison replacement. After, of course, we get the Gibbs-White deal over the line.