Jan Vertonghen’s injury is bad news for Spurs but even worse news for Dream Team managers.
The Belgian centre-back has been ruled out until December with a serious hamstring injury.
His spell on the sidelines means he will miss AT LEAST ten games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
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The 31-year-old’s injury, picked up in last month’s win over Huddersfield, comes at a particularly bad time for Spurs.
The fixtures in all competitions are coming thick-and-fast and now Pochettino will be without a key component of his squad.
Not only will Vertonghen be absent for a significant period, he will also miss some important fixtures.
The stalwart defender is forced to miss out the clashes against Man City, Chelsea and the north London derby against Arsenal on December 2nd.
The injury will come as a blow to the 7.5% of Dream Team managers who currently have the Belgian in their teams.
Fear not. Let’s help you spin this negative into a positive.
Vertonghen’s pricetag of £4.5m makes him the third-most expensive in Dream Team.
So, this is a chance for you to reinvest significant funds elsewhere.
Here are five potential replacements for Vertonghen in Dream Team…
1 Aymeric Laporte – £4m
Laporte has been the only ever-present in Man City’s defence this season.
He’s a known-favourite of Guardiola and with 53 points to his name, it’s easy to see why.
Snapping up the Frenchman is a bit of a no-brainer. Get it down.
2 Virgil van Dijk – £4.3m
Van Dijk has marshalled Liverpool’s defence to a surprisingly high amount of clean-sheet this season.
The Dutchman has an impressive 42 points to show for his efforts and oozes class whenever he plays.
Just keep him away from Leroy Sane and all should be alright.
3 Kieran Tripper- £4.4m
Tripper has continued the impressive form we saw from him at the World Cup in the summer.
The marauding wing-back has picked himself up 36 points in Dream Team and is a popular choice having been picked by 29.1% of managers.
He’s also a massive danger from set-pieces as we all know very, very well.
4 David Luiz – £3.3m
A lack of options in the centre-back department at Chelsea has handed plenty of opportunities to Luiz.
The Brazilian still polarises opinion but certainly plays his part in a unit who love keeping clean-sheets.
Luiz has racked up 39 points and he costs only £3.3m. What are you waiting for?
5 Hector Bellerin – £3.1m
Bellerin is the perfect example of a playing flourishing under a new manager.
Unai Emery’s arrival at Arsenal signalled a fresh start for the Spaniard and he’s finally delivering on his undoubted potential.
The wing-back might only have 18 points, but has shone in recent weeks. His pricetag of £3.1m makes him a very enticing option.
If you aren’t feeling any of the above, then why not try something a bit different?
They aren’t your ordinary newly-promoted teamWolves defenders have been the surprise defensive unit of the season.
The men from Molineux are stealing the headlines in Dream Team because of their solid back four.
Right-back Matt Doherty is currently flying high as the third-highest point-scoring defender in Dream Team.
Costing just £1.9m, his point-tally is an outrageous 52 yet he’s still only been picked by 2.6% of managers.
Willy Boly also makes it into the top-five defender.
The Frenchman boasts 43 points and has only been selected by 1.7% of you.
Ryan Bennett has also been a rock at centre-back so far this season and has an impressive 37 points to show for it.
Alongside Bennett at the heart of Wolves’ defence has been club captain Conor Coady.
The former Liverpool youth prospect has featured in all nine of his side’s games this season highlighting how valuable he is.
Coady has 32 points this campaign and is a steal at just £2.2m.
We’ve given you the best of both worlds with these tips.
Do you splash out on a big-name, like-for-like defender to plug the gap left by Vertonghen?
Or, do you play it clever, go for a cheaper option and leave yourself with cash to splash at the front end of the pitch?
Sergio Aguero, anyone?
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