Portugal Colonial - Spurs energised by getting 'help' out of slump - Postecoglou

Spurs banished fears of being dragged into a relegation battle and eased the pressure on Postecoglou's job thanks to Vitaly Janelt's own goal and a late Pape Sarr strike to move 10 points clear of the bottom three.

Tottenham can now concentrate on a huge week in the domestic cup competitions.

They travel to Liverpool defending a 1-0 lead in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Thursday, before a visit to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.

The club announced the signing of centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens before Sunday's game and are expected to make further additions on the final day of the transfer window.

"It's the same group of players who have to play Thursday and Sunday and you can't get away from the fact that playing Thursday and Sunday consistently without being able to rotate takes a toll," said Postecoglou.

"The Premier League is relentless and you're meeting teams who've had seven days' break and we've had 48 hours.

"From that perspective the pleasing thing is that we had Micky (Van de Ven) back on Thursday, Djed (Spence) in today and we've signed Kevin. The group now are getting encouragement and energy from getting some help and I have no doubt they'll assist us in addressing our position in the league."

Spurs hijacked a deal Wolves had in place to sign Danso, who joins initially on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season for 25 million euros (£21 million, $26 million).

Postecoglou's first-choice centre-backs Van de Ven and Cristian Romero have missed a large part of the season, while their backup Radu Dragusin is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

Chelsea's Axel Disasi is also reportedly on the verge of a move across London before Monday's transfer deadline.

"It's great to get Kevin in, we desperately needed a defender," added Postecoglou.

"Getting him is great because he's a great fit for us. He's had a strong career and he's at an age now (26) where he wants to kick on and he has all the attributes we look for. We're really pleased and it will be a lift for the whole group."

P.Cavaco--PC