Tottenham Hotspur's defensive woes continue to linger like a bad stench amongst Jose Mourinho's squad and it's something that they arguably failed to rectify during the summer transfer window.

Yes, Spurs' activity was close to being a 9/10 with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sergio Reguilon already making their impacts felt whilst a sensational return for Gareth Bale has increased the excitement levels tenfold.

But with Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth departing N17, they really needed to find a ready-made centre-back fit to solve their ongoing woes.

Joe Rodon did arrive on the domestic deadline, but it remains to be seen whether or not he'll be ready for first-team action anytime soon.

The north London outfit have not recorded a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, which is hardly a surprise given that they had the second-worst defensive record of any top seven side last term.

Should they have paid up for Milan Skriniar? Well, Inter Milan's £46m asking price was rather extortionate but you only have to look at Virgil van Dijk's impact at Liverpool to see that it's worth paying up for an elite defender these days.

Having signed Rodon for an initial £11m plus add-ons, might Daniel Levy have missed that perfect starter who was available for a similar price earlier in the window?

Spurs were linked with a move for Robin Koch by German outlet Bild before he signed for top-flight rivals Leeds United. They only paid £11.5m upfront for his signature, and he's since proven his credentials in the Premier League.

That's merely £500k more for someone that would've gone straight into Mourinho's starting XI whereas Rodon may well be playing a waiting game as the season rumbles on.

Dubbed a "warrior" by his former boss Christian Streich, Koch has impressed in games against Sheffield United, Manchester City and even Wolves on Monday night, despite losing that game 1-0.

SofaScore graded him as Leeds' highest-rated player at 7.3 having recorded five interceptions and two tackles, as well as winning 75% of his aerial duels.

The 24-year-old has been compared to Javi Martinez due to his "battering ram" abilities, something that Mourinho must be desperate for in the heart of his leaky, error-prone backline. He could have been the perfect fix.

It's early days, but there are small signs that Levy may have missed out on a potential bargain with Koch, one that they may live to regret if their defensive troubles continue to rumble on this season.

AND in other news, Mourinho must UNLEASH his rusty Spurs star vs LASK Linz...