Archie Gray signs, £25m deal - Dream Tottenham defence for 2024/25 season after double transfer

Ange Postecoglou will hope to head into the 2024/25 season with a dream defence following aburst of exciting signing. The first-choice back five of Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie all impressed under Postecoglou but now he is looking to bolster his squad depth.

Back in the January transfer window, Radu Dragusin arrived from Genoa with a number of his performances at Euro 2024 proof of his quality. With the Romania international offering Postecoglou more options at centre-back, Spurs now look to have turned their attention onto recruiting at full-back.

football.london has previously reported that Spurs hold a strong interest in versatile Leeds United star Archie Gray with talks now open over a possible summer transfer. Brentford looked set to wrap up a £35million deal for his signature, however with Leeds rejecting their offer, Spurs look set to hijack the deal.

Alongside hopefully acquiring the services of Gray, Postecoglou may also look to sign another central defender following exits for Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga. With that in mind, football.london has taken a look at what Tottenham's dream defence could look like come Monday, August 19 for their Premier League opener against Leicester City.

Goalkeeper - Guglielmo Vicario

The Italy international enjoyed a very impressive first season at the club and as such, he will be hoping to continue on an upward trajectory going forward.

Vicario is an unbelievable shot-stopper and he is also capable of playing out from the back which is one of the reasons he was brought in by Postecoglou. There is, however, one clear area of his game that needs improving with Spurs' set-piece weaknesses brutally exposed in the second half of the season.

On a number of occasions, the 27-year-old was far too weak when coming to collect crosses and corners with the Lilywhites conceding 14 goals from set-pieces. Despite that, the expectation is that he will definitely continue as the No.1 with Fraser Forster as the backup goalkeeper.

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Right back - Pedro Porro

Though the arrival of Archie Gray would be exciting, it is very unlikely he immediately replaces Pedro Porro in the starting XI. The Spain international took a few months to adapt to life in north London but since replacing Emerson Royal at right-back for the second game of last season, he has not looked back.

Porro was often the consistent figure in Postecoglou's favoured back four with injuries rarely impacting him. However, with Tottenham set to play in the Europa League, having a player like Gray ready to replace him throughout the campaign will be crucial to avoid burnout.

Alternatively, the teenager is a natural in midfield while Porro may move further forward to accommodate Gray at right-back.

Centre backs - Micky van de Ven & Cristian Romero

Tottenham were far from solid in defence last season, but Romero and Van de Ven were regularly excellent. In the absence of Udogie, Postecoglou brought in Dragusin and moved Van de Ven to left-back, but it remains very clear what his favoured partnership is.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Tottenham were denied seeing the duo play together on a consistent basis. Van de Ven and Romero also contributed to numerous goals with Postecoglou often praising the latter's character and the Netherlands international's explosiveness and versatility.

As would be the case with Porro and Gray, having someone like Dragusin ready to make an impact will be huge as proven by his introduction in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa after Van de Ven picked up an injury.

Left-back - Destiny Udogie

Prior to last August, many Tottenham fans had forgotten about the signing of Destiny Udogie, but they were quickly reminded. The Italy international displayed his explosiveness on the ball frequently with two goals and three assists coming from his ventures forward.

When Udogie is not in the starting XI, it is very noticeable with a quadricep injury derailing the final weeks of his season. Postecoglou will be hoping for his return in pre-season and if that does not arrive in time, Spurs may look to welcome another left-back to plug the gap.

Other possible signings

Strengthening in defence is clearly a priority for Postecoglou and sporting director Johan Lange. football.london has previously reported that Tottenham want to sign another centre-back, though Tosin Adarabioyo and Lloyd Kelly, both long-term targets, are off the table.

With Postecoglou keen to increase the homegrown numbers in his squad, signing an Englishman is vital with a perfect one across the capital and up for sale. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah looks set to depart in the summer with an asking price of £25million placed on his shoulders that Spurs could certainly afford.

Following Ryan Sessegnon's exit coming six months after Ivan Perisic sealed a departure, Tottenham may need to sign a new left-back. Fenerbache's Ferdi Kadioglu is attracting interest from the Premier League with Spurs a potential option alongside Arsenal.

The Turkiye international is currently at Euro 2024 and his ability to invert will likely be why Postecoglou is taking a keen interest.