January may not be the busiest of transfer windows but Tottenham do need to be active in the market at the turn of the year. Making some key changes in the summer following Ange Postecoglou's arrival as head coach, the Lilywhites still have plenty to do in terms of upgrading their squad as they aim to challenge for top honours.

Tottenham are in a very promising position after eight games of the season as they lead the way in the Premier League and the hope is they will still be around the top come January. Winter additions really are going to be vital, especially with a couple of players already on the sidelines for the foreseeable future and three of the squad set to head away for a period of time in January to play international football.

Following last week's confirmation of Johan Lange's appointment as technical director starting from November 1, the Dane will be looking to make an immediate mark for his new club in the transfer market. So what exactly does he need to do in January? football.london takes a look below at three positions he must solve for Postecoglou.

New centre-back

Defence very much has to be the priority position for Tottenham in the January transfer window. Needing to upgrade their backline in the summer, Spurs completed deals for Micky van de Ven and youngster Ashley Phillips but they were unable to clinch a third centre-back signing prior to the summer deadline.

As well as Tottenham have done this season with Cristian Romero and Van de Ven forming a fantastic partnership, the Lilywhites could find themselves in trouble if one of the duo picks up an injury and faces an extended spell on the sidelines. Davinson Sanchez's exit to Galatasaray at the beginning of September has left Tottenham rather short on options at the heart of defence and they must ensure they fix the issue at the turn of the year.

Linked with moves for Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly in the summer, Spurs must decide if they revisit moves for the Premier League defenders or look elsewhere. It is very much a priority for Tottenham in January and it would be nice to bring in a new centre-back as soon as the market reopens for business.

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New midfielder

Tottenham will certainly need to add a midfielder to their ranks come the start of 2024. Well stocked in the middle of the pitch at present, Spurs will unfortunately lose both Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma for a period of time due to their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations.

One positive for Tottenham, however, is that Rodrigo Bentancur is edging his way back to fitness and he could be a key player for Spurs by the time Sarr and Bissouma both head off. Spurs are likely to have a call to make over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in January due to his lack of first-team football this campaign.

The Dane was expected to depart in the summer amid links with Atletico Madrid and Manchester United but a potential exit never came to fruition. If indeed he is to move on for a new challenge elsewhere, Spurs will need to bring in a replacement for him.

Even if Hojbjerg stays, Tottenham really need to add a further midfield option regardless as they cannot afford to leave themselves too short when Bissouma and Sarr are representing Mali and Senegal respectively.

New attacker

An attacker will also be required in January following the injuries to Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon. Whereas the Croat may have already played his final Tottenham game after sustaining a complex ACL injury in non-contact training in September, Solomon faces a layoff of around three to four months due to a knee injury.

Spurs have been boosted by the return to fitness of Bryan Gil, thus giving the Spaniard the perfect opportunity to make his case to Postecoglou. Regardless of whether the winger takes his chance or not, Tottenham must bolster their attacking options even further in wake of Perisic's injury and also because of Son Heung-min's participation in the AFC Asian Cup.

A versatile forward would certainly prove beneficial to Postecoglou as he would then have an extra option who can play out wide and also through the middle if required.