Following an injury to Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, Tottenham Hotspur has halted their pursuit of him, according to a report.
Spurs have been considering a number of center backs, including Kelly, as they have realized they need additional depth there with new signing Micky van de Ven sidelined.
The Bournemouth player is nearing the end of his South Coast contract, so a significant move in 2024 may be forthcoming.
However, TEAMtalk disclosed earlier this month that Bournemouth would turn down offers for Kelly in January. Rather than risk losing him for free at the end of their fight against relegation, they would prefer to keep him on board.
And in news that Bournemouth will be happy to hear, it seems Tottenham has eliminated Kelly from their list of January targets.
Kelly’s recent injury history has apparently turned off Tottenham. On Saturday, during Bournemouth’s victory against Sheffield United, he was forced to leave the game due to a hamstring strain.
Kelly’s length of absence is unknown, but it would make no sense for Tottenham to recruit someone who is recovering from an injury to fill the voids left by their own absences.
Kelly has a history of injuries as well; prior to the World Cup break, he missed a significant amount of the previous campaign due to an ankle problem.
It is unclear if Tottenham will be able to bring Kelly back in the summer after he has demonstrated his fitness once more.
They run the risk of losing out on signing the 25-year-old if other teams become less concerned about his physical condition because they are not the only team interested in him.
Spurs eschew dangerous exits
An piece on how injury concerns are impacting Tottenham’s winter window transfer intentions mentions Kelly’s update from The Telegraph.Regarding departures, it is emphasized that Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison’s injuries may force Tottenham to bench Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Additionally, the story states that Oliver Skipp will not be available for purchase, despite the fact that there were little hints before to this that he might be moving.
Regarding additions, the Telegraph maintains that bringing in a new defender—who might not even be Kelly—remains on the agenda and that a winger may also be asked for.
Their present roster has injury concerns, which is why they need both of those. Tottenham may still require greater squad depth even if they are not participating in Europe this season and have already qualified for the Carabao Cup.
They will now need to concentrate on deciding which candidates from their shortlists would be the most appropriate to cross off for each post.
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