‘Pushed hard’ – Manager admits club are keen to sign Spurs defender this summer

Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga continues to be the subject of transfer interest ahead of the upcoming season.

Tanganga secured a loan move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September when he joined German outfit Augsburg on what was expected to be a season-long switch with an option to make the move permanent.

The move turned out to be a disaster for the central defender after an injury along with a change of manager at the Bundesliga side.

The academy graduate returned to Hotspur Way in January having failed to make a single appearance during his time in Germany.

Another loan move in January, this time to Millwall proved to be much more of a success for the 25-year-old.

Millwall head coach Neil Harris has admitted that the Championship side are keen to bring Tanganga back to the club on a permanent deal.

The versatile defender made 18 appearances and scored two goals in the second half of the campaign with the Lions (transfermarkt).

Millwall want to sign Japhet Tanganga on permanent transfer

Harris has admitted that his side have pushed hard to try to make a transfer a possibility, but is fully aware that the former England Under 21 international is likely to be a man in demand.

He told the South London Press: “It’s really important that everybody understands, not just Neil Harris and his team-mates, but the whole football club is a big fan of Japhet Tanganga.

“I think I have made that clear in previous articles – I would love to work with him.

“Japhet is a player who will be in demand over this transfer window.

“As a football club, sometimes, we can only push as far when we go through a process which is involving individuals, agents and football clubs.

“It’s safe to say that we have pushed hard to see if Japhet is a possibility for us in this window.

“Where I am hugely respectful as well is that there is a lot that goes into signing a player, it’s not just involving money between clubs and agents, it becomes a lot of different scenarios.

“Family becomes a huge one. When players have options to maybe be abroad, they have to speak to them as well. There are moments in players’ careers which are hugely pivotal.

“We’re massively respectful at the early part of June, not just with Japh, but with other players as well – things have to be aligned.

“Of course we like Japhet, but there are lots of aspects that go into signing a player.”

SpursWeb Opinion

Tanganga’s loan spell at Millwall has helped to salvage his career to some degree after a horrible time in Germany.

With respect to Millwall, Tanganga could certainly do a job with a Premier League side such as Southampton or Ipswich Towb, unless he has a desire to move abroad.