Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most active Premier League outfits in the transfer market since Daniel Levy plucked Ange Postecoglou from the manager's dugout at Celtic, but there's little to suggest the spending will stop come summer.

Fifth-placed after 26 matches, five points behind Aston Villa in the top four while holding a game in hand, Spurs will need to strengthen further to close the gap on the imperious trio at the front of the division, all the while eclipsing the other hopefuls littered around European contention.

To strengthen means to sell, however, with stars such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg sure to be among the favourites to leave Tottenham. Another stalwart, somewhat poignantly, who might need to drape the curtain on his Lilywhites career is Ben Davies.

Ben Davies' season in numbers

Davies has amassed 329 appearances for Spurs since joining from Swansea City way back in 2014, though he doesn't look likely to cement a regular starting berth again under Postecoglou's leadership and it might be time for the 30-year-old to search for pastures new.

Spending the early phase of the current campaign on the fringe, injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero pushed the natural left-back into a central defence role before Christmas, and to be fair, he wasn't too shabby.

As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 11 defender has completed 92% of his passes across 11 top-flight starts, averaging 1.3 tackles and 2.1 clearances per game and succeeding with 66% of his contested duels, so he's hardly been terrible.

Still, while Davies was solid and dependable after stepping in for Van de Ven throughout November and December, he is out of contract in 2025 and the club's powers that be must now consider listing him for transfer after the campaign finishes.

Ben Davies' wage compared to Spurs squad

Given that he is currently pocketing higher earnings than Van de Ven, who has comfortably been one of the Premier League's finest defenders since arriving from Wolfsburg for £43m back in August, it might indeed be the right time for Postecoglou to show him the exit, targetting a young player to fit his vision.

Ben Davies

£80k-per-week

Rodrigo Bentancur

£75k-per-week

Guglielmo Vicario

£75k-per-week

Brennan Johnson

£70k-per-week

Giovani Lo Celso

£70k-per-week

Yves Bissouma

£55k-per-week

Micky van de Ven

£50k-per-week

Van de Ven has been exemplary in the rearguard with Romero and has blended his incredible athleticism with some savvy match intelligence and raw defensive crispness.

As per FBref, the Netherlands international ranks among the top 3% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 2% for successful take-ons and the top 17% for progressive carries per 90 to highlight his singular skill set.

While Davies' performances have improved this season, Davies was at the core of a woeful defensive effort last term and started 26 Premier League matches for a side that shipped 63 goals – more than all but the newly-promoted and relegated clubs – which led to some scathing remarks from those such as pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.

Agbonlahor said: “I watched him recently and he was so poor on the ball. He’s been at the club a long time and he’s still struggling to put in top performances. They need a real shuffle of that defence. For me, they need two centre-backs and a left-back – because Davies just isn’t good enough any more."

Davies has proved his worth as a reliable squad option this season but there is little to suggest that he is irreplaceable in Tottenham's backline, and given his contractual situation and sizeable salary, it might be the apt time for him to move on this summer.

Van de Ven is the fresh face on the block and looks set to stay, described as an "elite baller" by journalist Mitch Fretton for his colossal recent display against Crystal Palace.

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Moreover, Radu Dragusin joined from Genoa for £27m back in January and youngsters such as Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington are gunning for a prominent role in the seasons to come.

The winds of change are blustering at Tottenham, but under Postecoglou, there is hope once more and Davies must now be shipped on to continue the revival.