Now that we are at the start of the penultimate month of 2023, it will not be too long at all until the January transfer window opens for business. An opportunity to refresh the squad midway through the season, Tottenham supporters will be hoping that Ange Postecoglou can add a couple of new faces to his numbers for the remainder of the campaign.

Following the success of the club's summer transfer business, a repeat in January could potentially make all the difference come the end of the season as Spurs look to build on their excellent start to the term. Now with Johan Lange officially commencing his role as technical director on Wednesday and with Rob Mackenzie also swapping Aston Villa for Tottenham to become chief scout, Postecoglou was asked by football.london in his pre-match press conference about the importance of the duo coming in long before January.

"I've caught up with Johan, nothing too formal," said the Australian. I don't have the attention span for long meetings mate so it tends to be just casual chats with people. It's the best way to get my point across if I need to say anything. The good thing is he is in the building now so he's interacting with all the right people.

"The bit with me is the easy bit, it's about setting up the procedures and the structures to make sure he gets the department working the way he wants to get the right outcomes. As you said, Rob [Mackenzie] joining will help that. It is important they come in now.

"The January window, like for every club, is an important one. My view on the January one is that if you can get your business done early in the window it certainly is more helpful because you leave it until the end of January and sometimes what you train to gain you've missed that opportunity by waiting a whole month.

"That's sometimes out of your control so having him in is good. I'm sure we'll have a lot of discussions between now and then and I'm looking forward to working with him."

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Making it clear that he wants Tottenham to do their business early rather than wait until the end of the window as they have done in previous years, Postecoglou will have his fingers crossed that Daniel Levy and the club can grant him his wish. But what exactly do Tottenham need to wrap up at the beginning of the January transfer market? football.london takes a look at three key positions below.

New centre-back

Priority for Tottenham in January very much has to be centre-back. 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.

Cristian Romero and van de Ven have since gone on to form an excellent partnership at the back but the big worry is that they will be extremely short if one of the duo is absent through injury or suspension. Davinson Sanchez's move to Galatasaray at the start of September has left Tottenham rather light in such a key position, with the club unable to replace the Colombian at the time as the Premier League window had already closed for business.

Linked with moves for Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly in the summer, Spurs must decide if they revisit deals for the Premier League defenders or look elsewhere. A priority for the club at the turn of the year, all we be hoping that a new centre-back signs on the dotted line in the opening few days of the January window.

New midfielder

Tottenham are well stocked in midfield as things stand but they are on course to lose two influential players in January. As the Africa Cup of Nations gets underway midway through the month, Spurs will see both Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma head off for a period of time.

The return of Rodrigo Bentancur to action last Friday at Crystal Palace has handed Tottenham a huge boost and he could be a key player for the team by the time both Sarr and Bissouma depart. One player who will almost certainly be linked with a move away in January is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a summer exit never came to fruition.

Maybe not getting the minutes he wants in a Tottenham shirt, the Dane has still played a huge role for Postecoglou this season and he will continue to do so providing he remains a Spurs player. Given the upcoming absences of Sarr and Bissouma, Tottenham may decide to add to their midfield numbers in January unless they believe they have sufficient cover for the pair.

New attacker

Signing another attacker in January could feature very highly on the club's list of priorities as they look to maintain their excellent start to the season. Already two down in the final third as things stand following the injuries to Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon, Son Heung-min will be absent for a handful of games due to South Korea's participation in the Asian Cup.

Son is the last player Tottenham want to lose going on what he brings to the team and Postecoglou must ensure that he has a replacement in mind before he heads away. While the return of Bryan Gil boosts Tottenham's current attacking numbers, they really could do with adding one more.

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.