Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of winning the Carabao Cup were over in midweek after they were beaten 2-0 by holders Newcastle United. The Magpies beat Thomas Frank and Co. 2-0 at St James’ Park, via goals from Fabian Schar and Nick Woltemade.

The north Londoners have been hamstrung by injuries of late. Several key players have missed the recent games, and while the Lilywhites have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of the Chelsea fixture, so many injuries at this critical juncture is always difficult to take for the head coach.

The defensive unit has been severely hit, with Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies missing games after the October international break. Summer signing Kota Takai is yet to play a single minute owing to an ankle injury, while Radu Dragusin continues his rehab from an ACL injury sustained back in February. To make matters worse, Archie Gray has been ruled out for weeks following a calf injury.

Thus, it is not surprising that the Hotspur Way chiefs are planning to reinforce the defensive department when the transfer window reopens in January.

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