According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, who spoke exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham Hotspur is trying to negotiate a deal for either VfL Wolfsburg star Micky van de Ven or Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.

Ange Postecoglou has named both of them as ideal candidates, but according to Romano, the former Celtic manager will only make a proposal for one of them.

Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven are recent additions to the Tottenham roster.

After failing to qualify for any level of European football in 2022–2023, Postecoglou will attempt to turn around Tottenham’s fortunes with the support of chairman Daniel Levy.

The need for a new center-back has been identified, particularly now that Clement Lenglet has returned to Barcelona after his season-long loan to north London.

Tottenham have now realised they are not blessed with options in the heart of defence, and so have narrowed their search down to Tapsoba and Van de Ven, with reports stating that the club are working hard behind the scenes to configure deals.

Van de Ven has a five-year, £30 million contract with Spurs, according to De Telegraaf (via MailOnline), while Rudy Galetti told GIVEMESPORT that the club is’really close’ to concluding a deal for Tapsoba, who is valued at £25.7 million by Transfermarkt.

As previously mentioned, it is clear that Postecoglou is actively working to address Spurs’ defensive problems; nonetheless, the Australian coach now faces the challenge of determining which player best fits his system.

What did Fabrizio Romano have to say about Tottenham’s alternatives at center back?

Regarding the defensive tandem, Romano asserted that Spurs are keeping an eye on both but will only make a bid for the player they believe will benefit them the most.

On Tuesday afternoon, he spoke exclusively to GIVEMESPORT: “Yeah, for Tottenham, they are still working on both Micky van de Ven and Tapsoba. Just signing one of them is the plan within the club.

Which player should Tottenham sign: Micky Van de Ven or Edmond Tapsoba?

While Tottenham supporters cannot ignore the fact that they gave up a nerve-wracking 63 goals last season, it will be crucial to assess what qualities each of their potential newcomers could offer to the team.

With the help of Fbref’s player comparison tool, it can be shown that there isn’t much of a difference between the two players’ defensive skills. In comparison to his Dutch opponent, Tapsoba completed 1.6 tackles, 1.25 blocks, and 3.42 clearances for every 90 minutes played.

Additionally, according to the same source, Tapsoba, a 21-year-old defender for Wolfsburg, has a pass completion percentage that is 2.2% higher even though he completes more passes per 90 (59.3 as opposed to Van de Ven’s 46.7).

His lightning-fast pace may persuade Postecoglou and Levy to choose Van de Ven. According to the official Bundesliga website, the Wormer-born star was the ninth-fastest player in the German top division last season with a top speed of 35.97 km/h.

On paper, neither defender is superior to the other, but Van de Ven’s youth (even though it is only two years) and his speed could end up being the determining factor.