Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou's immediate attention will be on navigating through the tough winter period, but the Australian manager will be eagerly waiting to enact plans in the January transfer window.
To be honest, everything went a bit wrong last season and the woes were cherry-topped by Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich right in the build-up to the new campaign. but the cogs have combined and Spurs blitzed into early title contention in the Premier League.
But while Postecoglou is Tottenham's liberator from instability, he is not a miracle worker and his squad's frailty had been brutally exposed before the November international break, with injuries and suspensions heavily factoring into successive defeats against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
January reinforcements are paramount, with the fortification of the backline sure to be among the principal priorities for Postecoglou as he looks to sculpt a successful season down the N17.
Tottenham transfer news – Giorgio Scalvini
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano – as relayed by football.london – Tottenham had held an interest in Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini in the summer.
Romano said: "The centre-back of Atalanta, a very talented player, we know him very well in Italy, not as known in Europe, but he is very good.
"He's on the radar of many clubs, for example, I heard, last summer, Tottenham were considering a move, he was one of the secret players that they had on the list at Tottenham, but they decided to go for something different because Atalanta were asking crazy money for Scalvini."
Spurs opted to sign Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg for £43m instead, and while the Dutchman has been a revelation, he picked up a hamstring injury during the Blues defeat and is out until the new year, prompting Postecoglou to strengthen.
Giorgio Scalvini's season in numbers
Scalvini is only 19-years-old but he has already established himself as one of the most talented young defenders on the Italian scene, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp interested in signing him for £34m one year ago.
Dubbed a "top talent" by Romano, the centre-half really came into his own last year and completed 34 matches across all competitions, starting 29 times in Serie A.
The turn of the season has been but a continuation of his stellar performance, and indeed a robust blooming that threatens to disrupt the likes of Josko Gvardiol for the spot as football's most prodigious young defender.
As per Sofascore, he has been solid in the league this term, starting ten times, completing 84% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles, 2.1 clearances, 1.8 interceptions and six ball recoveries per game and succeeding in 64% of his contested duels.
Such metrics underscore an energy and tenacity that will serve him well on the Premier League scene, and while he could perhaps brush up his distribution, he has completed 92% of the passes made in his own half – effectively highlighting his creativity and willingness to progress the play.
Indeed, as per FBref, the £9k-per-week prodigy is developing skills across the board, ranking among the top 20% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 14% for assists, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 16% for successful take-ons, the top 13% for tackles and the top 2% for interceptions per 90.
It is, frankly, a rather long list. But this is an illustration of a skill set so shiny that the vultures are circling and waiting to nosedive towards his signature.
A veritable giant at 6 foot 4, Scalvini – noted for his “eye-catching” showings by journalist Tom Maston – really does look the complete package and offers creativity and progression to merge into Postecoglou's possession-based, enterprising system.
Unlike Van de Ven, the seven-cap Italy international is not left-footed but this should not dissuade the Lilywhites from pouncing, given that the influential summer acquisition will be expected to dominate from that side of the backline for years to come.
Cristian Romero, imperious and aggressive, also comes into the picture, but then outfits with silver-heavy ambitions have seldom succeeded with sparsity in the defensive wall.
Giorgio Scalvini could surpass Van de Ven
Romero is actually absent alongside his Netherlands-native partner, though he will sit the next two matches out due to his red card against Chelsea.
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The central defender has been touted with a possible move to England in January.
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With Eric Dier and Ben Davies forming the defensive axis against Wolves, Tottenham were very much reminiscent of the recent dog days preceding their former Celtic manager's appointment, and while neither was objectively bad, it's clear that they are not dependable within the system.
Scalvini would be the perfect player to rally the ranks and blend authority and strength with flair and ingenuity, and while he remains on Atalanta's books, Postecoglou must now ensure that a winter swoop is made.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Interceptions
No significant weaknesses
Aerial duels
Tackling
Concentration
*Sourced via WhoScored
Given his youthful years, the titan could easily improve over the coming years to present himself as one of Europe's leading defenders, potentially even surpassing Van de Ven – which would be quite a thing if the 22-year-old's displays on English shores so far are anything to go by.
While Van de Ven was said to be "flourishing" in Germany by journalist Ronan Murphy, he has transcended the Spurs backline (which conceded 63 Premier League goals last year) and has forged a fearsome partnership with Romero.
Described as a "fighter" and a "killer" by talent scout Ruben Jongkind, Van de Ven is blessed with electric pace and remarkable athleticism, ranking among the top 8% of centre-backs for progressive carries and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90 to evidence this.
The £50k-per-week star has been immense across his 11 outings in the English top-flight, completing 95% of his passes, making 1.6 tackles, 2.9 clearances and 5.4 recoveries per match and succeeding with 61% of his contested duels.
Scalvini has three years to catch up with him, and while Van de Ven is indeed thriving, the Italian ace looks the real deal and could nurture his innate creativity and power as a defensive force to rise to the forefront with Tottenham, who could soon boast a frightening array of talents in the rearguard to make Guglielmo Vicario's goal impregnable.