Southampton have suffered another deadline day transfer blow, with Tottenham Hotspur planning to keep hold of defender Japhet Tanganga, as tweeted by Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick.
#thfc Told Tanganga is staying put. Sounds like Mourinho not keen to let him go.
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) February 1, 2021
It was reported that the Saints were interested in making a late deadline day move for the Tottenham defender, but they were waiting for the London club to sanction a loan departure for him, according to Sky Sports.
The Saints have already seen a potential move for Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles fall away, with Southampton having reportedly pulled out of a move for the 23-year-old having become frustrated with the lakc of progression in negotiations. It has also been reported that the player was never sold on the idea of moving to St Mary’s.
Those reports also revealed that Southampton would move onto other targets before the window closes. It appears that one of those was Tanganga, with the versatile defender able to play as both a centre-back and in the full-back positions. The 21-year-old has been limited to just seven appearances in all competitions this season at Spurs.
Sky Sports reported that the Saints were facing competition from Celtic and one other unnamed Premier League club for the 21-year-old, while he was reportedly waiting for a decision over whether he would be allowed to leave Tottenham on a temporary basis.
This latest update suggests that the Saints will not be signing the defender, with Jose Mourinho unwilling to let him leave, as tweeted by Kilpatrick.
Read Southampton verdict
This would have been a very good addition for the Saints, as Tanganga’s versatility could have been very useful for Southampton in the second half of the season.
However, there was caution that Tottenham might have decided not to allow him to leave the club on loan before the deadline. The Saints were hoping they could persuade him to join them ahead of other suitors if a loan move is sanctioned, but that hope now seems dead in the water.
