Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season were done absolutely no favours by the amount of injuries they had to deal with during Ange Postecoglou’s first year in charge.
Certainly, one of the defining moments in their campaign came when Spurs faced Chelsea at home, as they lost both Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to injuries which would rule them out for several weeks. And it is probably fair to say that Tottenham never quite looked like the same side again.
Van de Ven’s absence was particularly harmful as he is so unique, with the Dutchman boasting an outrageous amount of pace which allows him to rival any forward in the Premier League.
It would be no surprise to see Ange Postecoglou look to add a little more depth in a number of areas this summer, and perhaps centre-back may prove to be one of those positions Spurs look at.
Along with van de Ven, Postecoglou has Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin available to him before he has to make a tricky decision. The likes of Ben Davies and Emerson Royal can also play there if needed.
So perhaps Tottenham should be alerted to the fact that one Champions League finalist is likely to become a free agent in the coming weeks, and is keen to remain in Europe despite interest from Saudi Arabia.
Tottenham should consider move as Mats Hummels prepares to become free agent
Obviously, it has been a long time since Mats Hummels has been at his absolute peak – with the defender helping Germany win the World Cup a decade ago. But his second spell at Borussia Dortmund has seen the 35-year-old make almost 200 appearances in all competitions across five seasons.
Hummels was denied the fairytale ending at Dortmund, with Real Madrid winning the Champions League final this past campaign. But according to Fabrizio Romano on X, Hummels is keen to remain in Europe should he leave the Westfalenstadion as a free agent imminently.
On a free transfer, plenty of clubs should definitely be looking at a short-term deal for the defender, including Tottenham.
Centre-back actually remains amongst the best in Europe right now
Firstly, he would give Postecoglou a fourth senior centre-back. But he is someone who has won five Bundesliga titles during his career, and he has played well over 700 games for club and country.
He has lacked pace for much of his career, but playing alongside van de Ven, that is unlikely to be a major issue. And he would arguably be a fantastic mentor to the likes of van de Ven and Dragusin, who are both some way off reaching their peaks.
As shown by FBRef, he remains one of the best centre-backs in Europe for tackles and interceptions, and he reads the game brilliantly.
If he is looking for a prominent role at his next club, a team like Tottenham should steer clear as he is well into the twilight of his career. But if he is content to be someone who plays as a backup, to Romero in particular, then Tottenham could surely do a lot worse given his contract situation.