Japhet Tanganga is interesting Celtic as the Hoops continue to try and identify a centre-back, according to the Daily Record.
The Record reports that the Spurs defender has been tracked by West Brom in recent weeks. Any move for him would only be temporary until the end of the season.
This comes after a struggling in year in which he’s only made six appearances. He’s yet to make a single Premier League match this season. However, he was clearly valued by Mourinho last term after being given six top-league appearances and a Champions League outing [Transfermarkt].
Outside of his 18 games for Spurs, Tanganga hasn’t played any other senior football. He has been capped at every age level up to under-20 level for England however.
Last year, Mourinho spoke about his belief in the centre-back, stating that he wants him to be a first-team player at Spurs for many years to come [BBC]. Yet with opportunities drying up in London, a move may be necessary at some stage today.
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After what appears to be the collapse of the Ben Davies to Celtic move [The Athletic], the Hoops need an alternative. Perhaps they’ve found one in Tanganga.
Then again, it’s deadline day. You can expect plenty of rumours surrounding players coming and going. A prime example of this being the Record stating that Ntcham was unlikely to move on deadline day, only for a report in France to claim that Marseille have made their approach and are closing in on him [RMC Sport].
It’s going to be all go as we look to bring in some new players to the club. Undoubtedly, however, centre-back remains the biggest priority. Especially since it looks like Jonjoe Kenny will solve our right-back issue at some stage today [Daily Mail].
In Tanganga, Celtic would be getting a player with much less experience than Davies. He wouldn’t be reaching his full potential at Parkhead either. Given how highly valued he is by Tottenham and Mourinho, there’s likely no road that could lead this to a permanent deal.
Even so, it would be a nice placeholder until the end of the season. An addition to help with the numbers whilst Chris Jullien is out injured.
However, don’t expect Tanganga to be a part of any long-term rebuild. That is, of course, if he does indeed sign in any case.
In other news, we discuss how much Everton reportedly wanted for Jonjoe Kenny permanently.
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