Will Mauricio Pochettino be given the chance to strengthen his squad?
Wednesday 23 January 2019 14:26, UK
Will Tottenham strengthen in the January transfer window? We look at potential ins and outs and consider which positions need filling.
Mauricio Pochettino has called for a change to Spurs' transfer policy if they want to win the Premier League.
But with this season's title challenge hanging by a thread, and with Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son missing, there appears a greater case for reinforcements at Tottenham.
Here, we look at who Spurs have been linked with, while Soccer Saturday's Matt Le Tissier offers his assessment on the current state of the Tottenham squad.
The triple blow of losing Kane to an ankle injury, Alli to a hamstring injury and Son to international duty laid bare Spurs' lack of attacking options behind their first-choice front men.
When Tottenham have everyone fit and available they are a match for any side in the Premier League, if not Europe, but it is strength in depth where improvement is needed.
However, Spurs' ability, and willingness, to sign players who will almost certainly play second fiddle to Kane and their other high-profile squad members is an issue to club continues to wrangle with.
Tottenham are keen to offload striker Vincent Janssen in January, and Sky Sports News understands they have valued the Netherlands international at £15m.
Given Pochettino has made it clear the 24-year-old does not have a future at the club, it will be some achievement to recoup such a healthy transfer fee for a player who last scored for Spurs in April 2017.
The Daily Mail claim Burnley are weighing up a January move for Janssen, who has previously attracted interest from Sevilla and is understood to have been the subject of enquiries from China.
At this stage, however, Sky Sports News understands Spurs are yet to receive a formal offers.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou may have played a starring role as Tottenham passed their first assignment without Kane and Son, setting up Harry Winks to the winner at Fulham, but his time at the club is uncertain.
It is understood Spurs will listen to offers for the 23-year-old Frenchman, who has made just 10 Premier League appearances for the club since arriving in 2016.
So a couple of fringe players could be going out of the door, but will any be brought in to replace them?
Well, Spurs have reportedly revived their interest in Barcelona's out-of-favour winger Malcom, a little over six months after they were beaten to the former Bordeaux forward's signature by the La Liga champions.
West Ham forward Andy Carroll will not be the man to solve Spurs' striker, according to Sky sources, despite reports linking the former England international with Tottenham.
Hull City's Jarrod Bowen has been linked with a move to Tottenham in January too. Could the £15m-rated winger follow in the footsteps of Kane, Winks and Dele Alli and be the latest promising talent Spurs nurture?
It is pretty obvious with Spurs, once all the players are fit you know the ones that will be in the front three or four so it will be difficult to see which ones Spurs can attract, particularly in the striking position, with Kane coming back in two or three weeks.
If there was any position they need to strengthen, perhaps they need a top-class striker, but when everyone is back it is a pretty strong squad. That's a big stumbling block for getting those guys that are going to come in.
Why am I going to come to your club if I am going to be sat on the bench? I want you to come to my club but I have got Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, but I cannot guarantee you are going to play every week, so there are all these different scenarios.
Spurs don't have the money to bring in better than what they have already.
They are possibly short of a top-drawer midfielder. The Mousa Dembele move was odd but there are reasons for it. Spurs will not have moved him on, there is obviously something behind that.
Pochettino has been vocal with his assessment of Tottenham's current transfer policy, warning the club they need to operate in a different way to win the Premier League title.
With time needed to implement wholesale changes, and the continued cost incurred while they wait for the completion of their new stadium, you would expect things to stay pretty consistent at Spurs, although securing of Eriksen's long-term future would go some way to appeasing calls for reinforcements.
That said, while Pochettino has proven his current crop of players are well-equipped to operate in the upper echelons of the Premier League, there remains the question of how far this Tottenham side could go with a few more additions.
