Ange Postecoglou has indicated that Tottenham will probably need to add some more experience to their squad in order to help the development of the club's youngsters. Facing a big summer as they headed into the 2024/25 campaign, Spurs were busy in the market as the planned for the future in north London.

The club targeted players for the years ahead as they clinched the signings of young quartet Wilson Odobert, Archie Gray, Yang Min-hyeok and Lucas Bergvall. Dominic Solanke was the other permanent summer arrival, joining in a £65million move from Bournemouth following a stellar season on the south coast.

Tottenham's transfer approach has been questioned by many, especially with the team lacking experience in recent weeks with a host of players on the injury front. Now with the January transfer window edging ever closer, Postecoglou has stated that "how we allocate the next resources may shift a little bit".

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“The reality is it’s a balance of both," said the 59-year-old when asked if spending £65million on Solanke is proof Tottenham want to win right now. "We’re rebuilding a team. Are we going to be a club to spend a billion pounds to buy ready-made players? No, we’re not. There are very few of those. There are ones that can do, but we’re not one of them. So that’s the reality. So then you’ve got to say ‘ok, where’s your spend going to go?’

"I was really keen to get Dom in because I knew he’d make us better from day one, absolutely. And he has, he’s been outstanding. When you are paying for ready-made players, there’s a premium. How we allocated the rest of that money was a decision we had to make.

"Do we go for somebody else who is ready-made? We could have done but I think it would have been one of those stories where I’ll be 70 years old and I’d be saying ‘you know what, I could have signed Archie Gray’...and Archie Gray ends up being the player we know he’s going to be. So you go ‘you know what, we probably do need another experienced player, but I don't think we can pass up Archie’.

"I think this is a unique opportunity, a unique space for us to get a really talented 18-year-old. You have to make that decision, I thought it was the best decision for the club and I think it will be the best decision for the club in the longer term. When you have finite resources, that doesn’t affect other decision you make. So I think it’s a balance of both.

"Moving forward, we probably need to err on the side of getting a little bit more experience, just to help the group, because we’ve got very few at that kind of sweet spot in terms of ages. And we want to give the guys in their teens or early twenties the opportunity to keep growing. We need to make sure we put quality around them, so how we allocate the next resources may shift a little bit. But I’d hate to be sitting here now and saying we had an opportunity to sign Archie Gray at 18 and we passed it up because maybe we could have got a player who helps us for a couple of years.”

Targeting young players who can star for the club for years to come, Solanke didn't exactly fall into that category as he was 26 years of age at the time Tottenham signed him. Postecoglou has revealed that discussions did take place regarding the striker's age but both he and Johan Lange were "really big" on signing the England international.

“Yes, there’s discussions," he admitted. "When a club like ours is allocating such a big resource, there’s always discussions because you can’t get that one wrong. Because you invest heavily on a player who you need to make an impact straight away, if you get that one wrong, that has massive ramifications, not just for one window but for subsequent windows because I think if you get a wrong one long there’s a bit of latitude there in terms of moving forwards.

"Johan was really big on Dom, I was really big on him, we had guys like Matty Wells who had worked with him, just character-wise he ticked every box. It was a big decision for us, but I was really confident it was the right one.”

Solanke has made a real impact since making the move from Bournemouth, with the striker showing exactly what he can offer in the final with two brilliant goals in Thursday's Carabao Cup quarter-final 4-3 over Manchester United. Gray has also really caught the eye of late after getting an extended run in the team due to the absence of others.

Footage from the full-time whistle of Thursday's game appeared to show the teenager saying 'it was my fault, mate' to Fraser Forster after passing the ball back to the shot-stopper for United's second goal rather than playing it forward.

"Did he say mate? There you go! I’m having an influence!" quipped Postecoglou. "Yeah, fantastic. It’s a testament to him but also what we are trying to build here. The guys are not … they are taking a collective approach to things and Archie is probably thinking in that moment I could have made a better decision which would have helped Frase.

"I’m sure Frase said, 'No mate, I should have handled it better myself' but I think it’s part of our growth. As I keep saying we will eventually get out of this and hit some smoother waters but the way the guys are dealing with it at the moment in terms of accountability, responsibility … there are no factions or people splintering off and saying, Oof, this is a difficult time and saying I’m going to save myself here.

"We have the injured lads in the dressing-room before the game, they are out on the pitch afterwards so everyone is really invested in it and that’s an important part of how you deal with adversity. Growth. If you’ve got an 18-year-old who is standing out there and literally telling a man twice his age that you know what I’ll take responsibility, that’s great signs for us."

When asked for clarification if Archie was apologising about Amad Diallo's goal, Postecoglou added: "Don’t know. Probably one to ask Archie about. I think you would have found a few of the boys had similar sentiments that they could have handled that situation better in terms of …. I think the first goal can happen. Zirkzee was actually in the box pressing when he should have been … actually what he did was illegal. But anyway we’ll let that run because there was no VAR last night.

"That was my decision so I’m happy with that. I think we should have waited for him [Zirkzee] to clear the box before we start playing because then he presses from inside the box. So we could have handled that situation a little bit better, just some calmness but then when that happens I think us going back to Frase a couple of times probably wasn’t the right decision.

"Again, Frase could have handed that better by just telling the boys that. It’s about ownership and responsibility in that area. So we got a free-kick, Biss goes back, Archie goes back. Do we need to go back in that situation. Probably not. So that’s what I mean in terms of decision-making. Our decisions in that moment, probably weren’t as clear-headed as we should be."

Some supporters are looking to protest against ENIC on Sunday with a peaceful protest planned ahead of Sunday's Premier League encounter against Liverpool. Postecoglou knows how important the atmosphere is inside the stadium and he is hoping the noise and energy they can create to help the team get over the line becomes one of the main talking points from the match.

“I’ve said before, I think the path to success is a lot smoother when everyone is aligned, absolutely," said the 59-year-old. "When there is discourse, invariably it affects the way forwards. But at the same time, we live in a world where people are allowed to express their feelings.

"We’ve just got to make sure on Sunday, the things we can control, particularly me in terms of the football department, we go out there against a top side and put on a performance where our fans are focussed on what’s happening on the field. We need them on Sunday. I thought they were great last night with the noise they made to get us through it with the energy. We’re going to need that on Sunday, for sure. So hopefully that becomes the main talking points out of it.”

Tottenham are extremely entertaining to watch right now and a far cry from the football that was served up during the tenures of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. So is Postecoglou giving fans what they want at present?

"That’s not for me to judge. That’s for the supporters to measure," said the former Celtic boss. "When I came in, I made it clear, and I think the club knew what I was I about. I wasn’t going to come in and do anything different after 26 years. That’s not what I’m about.

"My impression is that’s what the club wanted. Of course they want to win things. Every club does. But they want to be a team to play a certain way. I was excited by that and that’s what I’m trying to deliver. Whether supporters understand or appreciate that I’m not sure. That’s up to them.

"The supporters I have any contact with out and about - this is what they want. They want to win. But they want the team to be playing in this manner, with this intent."

On recent criticism, he added: "It’s a bit of human nature. I don’t think we know what we want. We get something and we want something more. That doesn’t satisfy so we want something else. Whatever makes you happy, hold on to it and cherish and embrace it. Appreciate something for what it is.

"We’ve all got people in our lives like that. We’ve all got that uncle that everyone… that uncle who even on the best day says it’s raining outside… Even though we’ve just won the lottery we have to share it with someone because two people won it."

The head coach knows that winning something is possibly the best way to silence critics

"I think so," he stated. "Some of it is anxiety. I want to win. But if I’m not winning, is it what I really want. Until you get there there’s always going to be that bit of uncertainty."

Postecoglou has come in for praise from Liverpool boss Arne Slot ahead of the game due to Spurs' attractive brand of football, with the Dutchman indicating that he would like Tottenham to win a trophy this season.

"I don't think I'm an evangelist for the whole game. To quote Monty Python, I'm just a naughty little boy," joked the Australian. "Um, why did I say that?

"It's what I love about football. There has got to be differences, people who are prepared to do thing a little bit differently. That's what we love about our game, that there is that variety.

"That allows opinion, that allows emotion. I hate to think people think I am some sort of showman - I want to win. That is still the core of my being. I hate losing and I want to be successful.

"I am so driven by that on a daily basis over my whole career that I feel that if I can win playing in this manner it makes an impact.

"We all want to leave a little bit of a footprint on our journeys. I want that to be my footprint - I was successful in a different way because that stays in people's consciousness longer than doing things normally. We are not there yet and some would say we are a long way away - and when we ever get there who knows?

Pushed further on the "offensive" criticism that he mentioned in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou said: "It's not the first time in my career. You kind of feel that 26 years of hard graft should get you a little more respect and I'm not the only one. I have seen it happen to Unai [Emery] and Nuno [Espirito Santo] when he was here.

"I get that not everyone will be a fan of the way I do things and even the way I play people will have different opinions. That's normal, that's healthy but some of it has been pretty dismissive."

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