Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou could regret Sergio Reguilon loan decision
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou might be convinced to take a second look at left-back Sergio Reguilon after his performances on loan for Brentford.
Reguilon has made 67 appearances for Tottenham and scored twice since he joined the North London club from Real Madrid in 2020 (Sky Sports News, 19 September 2020).
In recent seasons he has fallen out of favour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and spent the first half of the season on loan at Manchester United, where he made 12 appearances in all competitions.
After the Red Devils activated a break clause in his loan agreement, he joined up with Brentford in January and will remain in West London for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 17 January).
Upon his arrival, Brentford boss Thomas Frank detailed how delighted he was by the addition of the Spaniard to his squad.
“This is a very good signing for us. We’ve been talking for a while about how we need a good left-back, and we managed to get a very good left-back. I’m very pleased with the job that Phil Giles and Lee Dykes have done” (Brentford Official Website, 17 January).
“Sergio is a perfect fit for us: a proven Premier League player in every aspect. He fits what we want. He’s very offensive, has a very good cross and a very good left foot.”
Reguilon proving Tottenham and Postecoglou wrong
Reguilon has started two games for Brentford so far, and he has impressed on both occasions.
His debut for the club arrived from the bench, as he was introduced in the 74th minute of the Bees’ 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday 20 January.
Replacing Neal Maupay, the former Sevilla loanee won two of his four ground duels, 100 per cent of his aerial duels and blocked one shot (Sofascore).
It was a relatively low-key debut, but the most important thing was that he helped the home side hold on for a big three points.
Off the back of this cameo appearance, he was handed his first start against Manchester City in a 3-1 defeat on Monday 5 February, and despite the scoreline, he made a good account of himself.
He once again won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and six of his eight ground duels while he also made two clearances, three interceptions and four tackles.
Going forward was where he struggled, as he provided just one accurate cross into the box from five attempts and also completed just 64 per cent of his passes, although he was successful with two of his three dribble attempts.
It is that lack of attacking quality which was an issue for Postecoglou, but in the 2-0 win against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday 10 February, Reguilon showed some signs of improvement.
In what was his best display in a Brentford shirt yet, the 27-year-old grabbed an assist, played two key passes and provided two accurate crosses into the box.
He had a mixed afternoon defensively as he was dribbled past four times, but also made six tackles, won seven of his 12 ground duels and made five clearances.
Reguilon has clearly demonstrated he can still handle the intensity of the Premier League, and Postecoglou might be regretting letting him go.
Although he would be unlikely to start over Destiny Udogie, his performances for Brentford have proven that he can at least act as a good deputy in North London.
It will therefore be interesting to see what the Australian decides to do with him when he returns to Hotspur Way.
In other Tottenham news, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King has been left baffled after the club issued a complaint.
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