Tottenham Hotspur finds themselves in somewhat of a defensive crisis with an injury befalling Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in an ongoing contract stand-off.

Vertonghen’s time at White Hart Lane arose back in July 2012 when Andre Villas-Boas began to shape his first Spurs side. Alderweireld was signed by Mauricio Pochettino to bring stability to the squad, and bring stability he did with the Lillywhites going on to form a title challenge in the former Southampton loanee's debut season.

94 appearances later, though, and rumours began to swirl that the younger of the two international teammates could be departing as Jose Mourinho looked to do at Manchester United what Pochettino had in London, rebuild a back line with the addition of a 6ft 1in Belgian.

Should Spurs lose Alderweireld, either in January or at the end of the season, the roster in North London would be very thin, leaving limited talent to call on to sit in front of Hugo Lloris’ net. Besides, with the duo entering the latter stages of their respective careers, it is nearing the time to look for a more long term solution anyway.

In the current list of names on offer, only one could establish himself as a starter alongside Vertonghen’s ageing legs, and that is Davinson Sanchez.

The Colombian signed from Ajax is developing nicely having had a year to settle in and getting far more minutes on the pitch than his Argentinean coach would have anticipated thanks to Alderweireld’s injury stricken 2017-18 season.

Eric Dier is another, but the former Sporting Lisbon youth player is better suited to the midfield game and sitting in front of the centre-backs rather than as part of the backline.

Who else then could fill the void? As back-up for cup and European fixtures against lesser sides, the youth squad and Dier can step in to temporarily plug the gaps at the back, but anything beyond that and results may be affected.

Instead, Daniel Levy will need to look outside the club’s own doors for a long term solution, with Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake and Manchester United’s Eric Bailly recently tipped as potential incomings at the new Tottenham stadium.

Both have the talent to be top centre-backs in the Premier League and are likely to be around for some time yet, with Bailly the elder at the ripe old age of 24, however, the signing of either may not be that simple.

Take Ake, an ex-Chelsea player that the defensive mind of Jose Mourinho had no faith in and nor did Antonio Conte as the Italian shipped the Dutchman off on loan upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge before agreeing to a permanent transfer a year later.

On the South Coast, though, the 23-year-old has developed greatly in his two years to establish himself in Eddie Howe’s Cherries. At the Vitality Stadium, Howe’s style of play perfectly suits the 5ft 11in defender, with the Feyenoord youth star possessing a natural calmness on the ball that is ideal for the ever-growing favoured system where teams look to play out from the back.

Like Vertonghen, Ake also has multiple uses for a manager as the centre-back can fill in for Danny Rose or Ben Davies on the left. While the Dutch international likes to play short passes, he often looks to take on a shot and still needs to work on his crossing whilst outside the backline.

Should Pochettino decide the Bournemouth number five is his number one target, Levy will also have to fend off Chelsea in his pursuit, for the Blues hold a gentleman’s agreement that ensures the Pensioners are informed of any potential sale and that they get first refusal at £40million, according to The Telegraph.

If that does not seem like value for money, the club’s attention could turn to Manchester United with Bailly a potential Old Trafford departure to make way for Alderweireld, having failed to impress his Portuguese manager in charge so far.

Since featuring in United’s shock loss to Brighton, the Ivorian was dropped for Ander Herrera at centre-back for Spurs’ visit to Old Trafford and only featured as a stoppage time substitute in the immediate matches after.

Mourinho has since appeared to put more faith in the centre-back again, starting him in three of the last four matches, but he hauled him off after just 19 minutes at home to Newcastle last time out.

Enough may now be enough for the Ivory Coast international, and a January exit could be on the cards for the player linked with moves to both North London sides.

If Arsenal or Tottenham are the defender’s possible destinations, Spurs stand an advantage with Bailly previously stating: "Pochettino likes hard-working young people and he helps them through, he assists them and helps them progress. Of course I will always be ­grateful. I saw him when we played Tottenham and we always talk and catch up."