Tottenham Hotspur need a quick response after the current international break to put any concerns over a drastic slump to bed after successive defeats earlier this month.
Ange Postecoglou's side were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea – a game in which they were reduced to ten-men – and then lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who scored two goals in stoppage time.
The loss to the Blues was particularly damaging as they lost influential summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to injuries, alongside the red cards to Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie.
Van de Ven had to be withdrawn during the first half after he pulled up with a hamstring strain after an attempt to shepherd the ball back to Guglielmo Vicario.
The Dutch central defender is now expected to be out of action until January, such is the severity of his injury, and Spurs have conceded five goals in the 135 minutes plus stoppage time played since his early exit against Chelsea.
This blow has exposed the lack of depth within the squad and it has now been reported that the club are eyeing up a possible signing to add to their group of centre-backs in January.
Spurs transfer news – Koki Machida
According to 90min reporter Sean Walsh, Union Saint-Gilloise centre-back Koki Machida has emerged as a potential target for Postecoglou at the start of next year.
The journalist has claimed that the left-footed titan has been wowing Spurs scouts when they have been to track his progress, which has led to him being looked at as someone who could come in to bolster their defensive ranks.
In the accompanying article, it is stated that Tottenham and Postecoglou would like to bring in another defender who suits playing an aggressive and high-pressing style, which is something Eric Dier and Ben Davies have looked uncomfortable in.
The outlet has reported that the Premier League side are now eyeing up Machida as they believe that he has the physical qualities to thrive in that system.
However, there is no mention of how much it could cost to snap him up from the Belgian side or whether or not they would face competition from any other clubs.
Postecoglou could now land his next version of van de Ven by securing a swoop to sign Machida from Union ahead of the second half of the season.
Micky van de Ven's season in numbers
The 22-year-old enforcer was brought in from German side Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window and has enjoyed a terrific start to life in England.
He arrived at Spurs off the back of a solid season with his former club. The left-footed gem played 33 Bundesliga matches and helped his side to keep 11 clean sheets – one every three games on average.
However, van de Ven arrived as a young player with no experience of the Premier League or English football and there was no guarantee that he would be able to adapt to the division or country.
Any concerns about that were quickly swatted away by his superb displays at the back, though, as the Dutch colossus hit the ground running for Postecoglou.
He has started 11 Premier League matches for Tottenham so far this season and has made an impact with his play in and out of possession.
His speed off the ball has allowed him to make 5.4 ball recoveries per match, alongside 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game, whereas Davies – as the club's only other left-footed centre-back – has made 1.5 ball recoveries per outing across six appearances.
Van de Ven has also showcased his defensive strength with a duel success rate of 61%, which shows that the young talent has quickly adapted to the physicality of the division.
The summer signing has also provided quality in possession. He has completed an eye-catching 95% of his attempted passes and currently ranks within the 20% of Premier League centre-backs for successful take-ons (0.57) per 90.
These statistics point to how successful the Netherlands native has been at evading the opposition's press in order to then progress his team through the thirds to take advantage of the space that is created by that initial dribble past an attacker.
Overall, van de Ven has provided speed, defensive strength, and quality in possession as a left-footed central defender since his summer switch from Wolfsburg.
Machida could now arrive to provide similar qualities to make sure that Postecoglou has an alternative option to the Dutchman, when – as he is now – the colossus is unavailable for selection.
Koki Machida's season in numbers
The 26-year-old titan, who writer Ben Bocsak hailed as "impressive", is another left-footed defender and the aforementioned report claims that the club feel he has the physical attributes to fulfill the role van de Ven has played.
Defensively, Machida's form for Union this season suggests that he has the potential to be an excellent option. He has made 6.5 ball recoveries and 4.0 tackles and interceptions per match across 11 Pro League outings for his club.
The Japan international has also won 61% of his duels in the Belgian top-flight and these statistics show that the Spurs target has similar defensive qualities to van de Ven, as their ball recovery numbers and duel success rates are not too dissimilar.
Appearances
Three
Ball recoveries
21
Tackles
Three
Clearances
Five
Duel success rate
67%
In possession, the 6 foot 3 enforcer is also able to progress the play. Machida ranks within the top 3% of Pro League centre-backs for progressive passes (7.06) and the top 17% for progressive carries (1.10) per 90.
This shows that the Union star excels at being positive and forward-thinking on the ball, whether that is by passing or dribbling with it, and that could allow him to thrive in Postecoglou's system.
Spurs look to invite a press from the opposition before playing under pressure in their own third in order to create space for the attackers to work in further up the pitch.
Machida's possession statistics indicate that he has the technical ability and progressive mindset to suit that, alongside his impressive defensive skills.
Therefore, the Union star could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham in January and be Postecoglou's next version of van de Ven at the back.
