Tottenham Hotspur will keep faith and not look to sell defender Japhet Tanganga after he suffered a season-ending injury, claims Football Insider's Spurs pundit John Wenham.
The Lowdown: Tanganga’s injury
During the Lilywhites’ 2-0 loss to Chelsea back in January, the 22-year-old’s game came to a premature end as he sustained a knee injury which saw to his substitution in the 56th minute. As a result, the defender has been sidelined ever since, and has missed Tottenham’s last 11 games.
On Friday (18 March), the north London club announced that Tanganga had undergone surgery on his knee, meaning that he will be out of action for the rest of the season.
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The Latest: Wenham’s claim
Wenham, an 'expert' at the club according to Football Insider, has insisted that Tanganga will remain as a long-term prospect for the club.
Speaking with FI, he said: “The news is devastating for him but Tanganga is still under contract until 2025.
“He counts as homegrown and club affiliated. For me, there’s definitely zero chance of Tottenham moving him on.
“He is valuable. He can come in at centre-half as part of a three or at right wing-back.
“There are a lot of players who you would look to get rid of ahead of him.
“He’s on relatively low wages too. He has also made 19 appearances this season which is 18 more than Joe Rodon.
“If you are talking about players who can be moved on, that’s all you need to say.
“It’s a shame he’s injured but we have plenty of cover at the moment.
“If there was any time for him to get injured, it would be now because we actually have a bit of depth.”
The Verdict: Useful to Spurs
At just 22 years old, Tanganga potentially has a whole decade remaining in the top-flight if he can continue to develop and fulfil his potential, so it would be silly to cut him loose.
Hailed as “special” by Gary Neville, he can hopefully get a clean slate after his surgery in the knowledge that he still has a future in north London when totally fit.
With the ability to play either centre-back or as a full-back, the Englishman could prove to be an extremely useful asset to manager Antonio Conte, who usually likes to utilise three central defenders alongside wing-backs.
Therefore, whilst this injury will come as a major blow for the player, his place in the Tottenham squad should be safe.
In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Fabio Paratici linked with Paulo Dybala move