TOTTENHAM MAKE CONTACT OVER £13M JAPAN STAR AS POSTECOGLOU SHOWS INTEREST
Tottenham Hotspur have initiated contact with Union Saint-Gilloise over a potential deal to sign defender Koki Machida in January.
Koki Machida is a ‘very real’ target for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the January transfer window.
That is according to Belgian newspaper L’Avenir, who report that Tottenham are very interested in signing Machida.
We are expecting to see Tottenham go into the market for at least one centre back in January.
The absences of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have really exposed Tottenham’s lack of defensive depth and we would expect to see another signing or two in January.
Reports in November suggested that Tottenham were looking at Union Saint-Gilloise defender Koki Machida as a potential signing.
Belgian newspaper L’Avenir, as noted by Sport Witness, suggest that Tottenham have spoken to Union Saint-Gilloise about a potential deal.
An offer isn’t on the table just yet, but Tottenham are believed to have communicated their interest ahead of the January transfer window.
The Belgian side don’t really want to sell but would accept an offer of around €15million (£13million) for the Japanese defender.
Union would ideally want Machida to return on loan for the second half of the season, but it’s unclear whether Tottenham would be open to that idea.
Spending £13million on a 26-year-old defender indicates Tottenham want an immediate impact rather than having to wait until next season to see him in action.
Machida isn’t a big name but we can understand why Tottenham may be looking to sign him.
Van de Ven is a big, physical, left-footed centre back with a turn of pace too play in Ange Postecoglou’s high line at the back.
Machida ticks similar boxes and Postecoglou also has a great knowledge of Japanese players.
Postecoglou managed Yokohama F. Marinos and then brought a raft of Japanese talents to Celtic after landing the Parkhead job.
Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi, Tomoki Iwata and Yuki Kobayashi all joined Celtic under Postecoglou.
Machida starred for Kashima Antlers during Postecoglou’s time in Japan and may have put himself on the Australian’s radar.
Now excelling in European football with Union, Machida may be what Tottenham are seeking as cover and competition for Van de Ven moving forward.
