Tottenham and Brighton in talks over attacker transfer, as Postecoglou hints at two deadline-beating deals

Tottenham winger Bryan Gil, Spurs, Brighton badges

Tottenham and Brighton are in discussions over the transfer of winger Bryan Gil, and Ange Postecoglou has hinted at a second deadline-beating Spurs deal as well as his replacement plans.

Gil, 22, has struggled to adapt to the more robust demands of the Premier League. The Spaniard is technically gifted, though a series of Spurs managers have all deemed Gil unworthy of regular playing time.

It’s been no different under Postecoglou, with Gil notching just 217 minutes minutes of action since the Australian took charge.

Gil is under contract in north London until 2026. As such, Tottenham are under no immediate pressure to find a permanent buyer.

As such, it’ll come as no surprise to learn Brighton are in discussions over signing Gil before Thursday’s 11pm deadline via the loan route.

talkSPORT, the Evening Standard and TEAMtalk’s own sources have all confirmed talks are in full swing. Whether an option to buy will be included isn’t yet clear, though there’s no urgent need to incorporate one on Tottenham’s end.

In any case, Gil has the green light to leave Spurs thanks in part to their sparse fixture list from here on out.

Tottenham are not in Europe and have exited both domestic cup competitions. As such, fixture congestion – and thus the need for excellent strength in depth – won’t be as important for Spurs when compared to other clubs in the upper echelons of the Premier League.

Hojbjerg could follow Gil out

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Postecoglou also hinted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could follow Gil out of the club due to the reasons mentioned above.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano declared on Tuesday that Hojbjerg will stay with Spurs until the end of the season.

The Dane reportedly views himself as a Champions League calibre player and amid a lack of interest from that tier of club, Hojbjerg isn’t in any rush to leave.

Indeed, Lyon lodged an approach, though the combative midfielder snubbed the Ligue 1 strugglers.

But according to Postecoglou, it’s not out of the question Hojbjerg does depart before Thursday’s deadline.

And due to Tottenham’s lack of fixture congestion, the Spurs boss hinted he’ll wait until the summer before signing any replacements.

Postecoglou on late Tottenham transfers

“With all the players, I look at it the same way,” said Postecoglou (as quoted by the Evening Standard). “As much as I’m steering this ship, they also have their own [careers]. I speak to players about this all the time. It’s their careers and they have to do what they feel is right as well.

“From my perspective, I need a strong squad. Maybe this year without being in Europe and obviously being out of the cups, the games now are limited to between now and the end of the year.

“But if we want to get to where we want to, then I compare us to the other clubs that we want to try and challenge. They’ve got big squads. They’ve got some pretty good players not starting. I look at it every week when they make substitutions. That’s where we’ve got to get to.

“Whether that’s Bryan or Pierre who maybe feel they should be playing more, if they made a decision that ‘I need to go somewhere else to play’, I’m going to replace them with somebody who is going to be a good enough player to play in the Premier League but maybe won’t start, because you need that.

“Pierre has played the last two games. I think he’s probably played just about every game this year. He hasn’t started a lot, obviously. Bryan has had a couple of injury problems early in the year and probably hasn’t played as much as he would want to, which I understand.

“But ultimately I’ve got to try to build a squad here that’s going to challenge. That’s only gong to happen if I’ve got 20, 22, 23 players who are all of Premier League standard.

“And that will mean if it’s not Bryan and Pierre, it’s two other players who will come in and maybe aren’t playing as much.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t rate them or don’t think they’re up to the standard, it’s just you need a squad. We’ve seen it more than anyone with injuries we’ve had.”

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