Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to sign a left-sided centre-back and a right-wing back in January by their former goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who made 175 appearances for the club.
The Lowdown: Tottenham's current options
Clement Lenglet signed for Spurs from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal in the summer, and while he arrived in N17 with a good pedigree, he has so far failed to impress Antonio Conte, being ranked by Sofascore as the club's second-worst defender in the Premier League this season.
Emerson Royal has also been disappointing at right-wing back, unable to offer much in the way of attacking contributions with just one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions, and Conte has now been urged to sign upgrades on these two players in January.
The Latest: Robinson's plea to Conte
Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson gave his opinion on what Tottenham's aims should be in the upcoming transfer window.
The 43-year-old said: “There is a call for spending money in January.
“It is about getting the right players though. We do not see that happen too often. We have seen the odd one over the years but there hasn’t been many. If there is money to be spent, spend it wisely.
“The areas they need to look at are obvious. They need a left-sided centre-half and a right wing-back. If they can bring in two players to strengthen those positions they should do it.
“It is a difficult month to do business in though. The manager will be looking to the summer to strengthen his squad. If one of those summer targets is available in January it would be a huge bonus.”
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The Verdict: Signings required
Spurs have recently been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon right-wing back Pedro Porro, who would be a real improvement on Royal judging by his quality in the attacking third of the pitch.
The Spaniard weighed in with eight goal contributions in 23 league appearances last season, a fantastic record for a player in his position, with his total vastly superior to Royal's haul of three goal contributions in 59 games for Tottenham.
This season along, Porro's 20 appearances have yielded a goal and nine assists, a return which leaves the Spurs right-back's efforts trailing in the distance.
While wing-backs are expected to contribute to a team's attacking output, Conte is also in dire need of a new centre-back to stabilise a defence which has not kept a clean sheet in their last nine competitive matches, so long-term target Alessandro Bastoni should be prioritised in January.
The 23-year-old is ranked by Sofascore as Inter Milan's joint-best centre-back this season, averaging a rating of 6.87 for the campaign.