Tottenham Hotspur lost to a superior Manchester City side in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night to all but end Ange Postecoglou's hopes of gleaning silverware in his maiden campaign in English football.
Having failed to qualify for this season's European competition and fallen at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup, Spurs will exclusively compete in the Premier League over the next several months, though the fifth-placed side are currently eight points behind top team Liverpool.
Postecoglou said: "It's fair to say that they've got eight or nine years on us" in his post-match press conference, with such words pronounced pragmatically, rather than being tinged with bitterness after a cold cup defeat.
Off the back of that, it is important to remember that this exciting Tottenham system is in its fledgling phase and that the blistering start to life this season went far beyond expectations after such a dour 2022/23 term.
Harry Kane's summer sale to Bayern Munich, of course, contributed toward this, but Postecoglou has proved his savvy ability and welcomed many exciting signings to kickstart a new era.
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This month, depth was clearly needed and centre-back Radu Dragusin and versatile forward Timo Werner – formerly of Chelsea – were welcomed to boost the chances over the coming months. Now, with the transfer window in its late stage, a final move is being lined up.
Spurs eyeing last-gasp move
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are persisting in their bid to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, but the Blues are unwilling to sell and have slapped an £80m price tag on the England international, so a deal will be complicated, to say the least.
As such, perhaps the Lilywhites could now advance their interest in Atalanta's Ederson, with Corriere Torino – via Sport Witness – revealing that Spurs have made an approach for the Brazilian midfielder.
While the Serie A club are determined to hold onto their central fulcrum, it's understood that an offer of around £35m could tempt them to cash in, and chairman Daniel Levy could now lodge a formal offer before the end of the month.
Why Spurs are interested in Ederson
Praised for his "versatile" nature in midfield by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Ederson first rose to prominence in Italy after playing a leading role in Salernitana's remarkable escape from relegation in 2021/22, and since transferred to Atalanta in July 2022 and chalked up 64 appearances for his current club.
As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old has scored five goals from 20 outings in Serie A this term to ice a rounded approach that has seen him complete 84% of his passes, succeed with 76% of his dribbles, win 59% of his duels and average 2.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 5.6 ball recoveries per game.
Lively and progressive, Ederson is a reliable influencer of attacking play but does tend to make his mark by driving the ball forward himself rather than dazzling with his distribution, but given that Tottenham have some exquisite central ball-players in Yves Bissouma and James Maddison, this could be the perfect additional dimension.
As per FBref, Ederson ranks among the top 15% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, successful take-ons and interceptions, as well as the top 4% for blocks per 90, with the stats-based site actually linking Gallagher as a comparable player.
While Tottenham are currently outside the top four, the progress made under Postecoglou's leadership has indeed been commendable, and Ederson would be yet another piece of the puzzle to continue the revival, with defensive metrics that bespeak his all-encompassing nature.
Tackling
Dribbling
Concentration
Interceptions
Source: WhoScored
Given that the £42k-per-week star would be relatively affordable compared to some of the exorbitant figures floating around the market, it's a venture well worth taking for Postecoglou and co, especially considering their recent success in plucking talents from Italian football.
Spurs' Serie A success
Tottenham's playing squad boasts some of its finest quality from Serie A, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski both signed from Juventus in January 2022, and Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario and Radu Dragusin all making their debuts this season after departing Italy.
All are fine players capable of making a marked impact on Postecoglou's legacy as Spurs boss, but none more so than Cristian Romero, who actually completed a £42m transfer from Atalanta back in 2021.
The Argentinian defender has completed 81 appearances for Spurs and has been praised for his "incredible" performances by football.london's Alasdair Gold, with compatriot Lionel Messi also remarking that he is the "best defender in the world right now" following La Albiceleste's 2022 World Cup triumph.
In the Premier League this season, while Romero has missed several matches due to injuries and suspension, he has been one of the finest centre-halves around, scoring three times from only 16 outings, completing 93% of his passes, winning 70% of his duels and averaging 2.2 tackles and 5.9 recoveries per fixture.
The £165k-per-week titan also ranks among the top 11% of centre-backs for goals scored, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for pass completion and passes attempted, the top 16% for progressive passes, the top 5% for tackles and the top 15% for interceptions per 90.
With a similarly tenacious and aggressive approach to his craft, Ederson could be a welcome addition to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Postecoglou could repeat a trick in bringing him to the club to join his South American counterpart.
It would be yet another layer of depth to a squad that hints at real success down the line, and Tottenham must now make a last-gasp January swoop to ensure that Champions League qualification is achieved by the end of the term.