Tottenham Hotspur have been impressed with the performances of Union Saint-Gilloise’s Koki Machida this season as their search for a new defender continues, as per 90MIN.
Spurs’ high-flying start to the new season which saw them play ten matches unbeaten, was brought to an abrupt end after suffering two consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Injuries and suspension to key first-team players and Spur’s inability to find worthy replacements among the squad portrayed the lack of depth in Ange Postecoglou’s team.
One concerning area that lacks depth is central defence where out-of-favor defender, Eric Dier and left-back, Ben Davies started as the center-back in their 2-1 loss to Wolves before the international break.
Hence, Tottenham have set their sight on Japanese international, Machida to not just provide depth, but compete for a starting berth in the left center-back role.
Machida initially joined Union on an 18-month loan before sealing a permanent move from Japanese outfit, Kashima Antlers last summer.
90 mins claims that Spurs have been keeping tabs on the 26-year-old who possesses the archetypical characteristics to thrive in Postecoglou’s high line.
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Having already managed the Japanese Pro League side, Yokohama F. Marinos, Postecoglou is well aware of the quality of Japanese players and how best to utilize those qualities. The 58-year-old signed Japanese players while at Celtic such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi, Tomoki Iwata, and Yuki Kobayashi.
Standing at 6ft 3in while possessing an incredible burst of pace, Machida is the perfect blend of technicality and speed. Those qualities are perfect for Postecoglou’s high line which has seen summer signing, Micky Van De Ven excel.
Naturally left-footed, Machida is defensively and technically sound enough to slot in seamlessly into Tottenham’s left center back as Van De Ven is currently out.
He could prove to be a bargain, valued at around £2.6m by transfermarkt, for Spurs and will add to the list of Japanese players to train under the tutelage of Postecoglou.
