January is typically a quiet month for Daniel Levy
Elsewhere, it may be a month for panic buys and snapping up players who are soon to become free agents in the summer. At Tottenham, they do things a little differently. In 2017, Tom Carroll’s departure for Swansea (£4million) was the only movement in or out of White Hart Lane. A year before that, they spent a whole £0.2m on academy midfielder Shilow Tracey, who signed from Ebbsfleet.
Their fans could be forgiven for saving themselves from getting too excited by the whirl of transfer rumours engulfing them this time around.
Yet, as they find themselves in a battle for the top four and for the first time in three seasons, never really in the title race, there is the possibility that it could change this time around. Mauricio Pochettino may look to add a winger, some further attacking prowess, and a left-back as he seeks to address some of the difficulties his side have encountered this term.
There have been a whole host of links, some more realistic than others:
Ross Barkley
The England international has snubbed a new deal at boyhood club Everton, so the Toffees are set to cash in on him in January. Spurs would rather wait until the summer to get him on a free, but the problem is that Chelsea are willing to pay. Pochettino could really do with him, especially as Mousa Dembele is increasingly fragile. Barkley has struggled to fulfill his potential but Tottenham would benefit from a playmaker who operates a little deeper than Christian Eriksen.
Luke Shaw
Spurs’ links to a number of left-backs stem from the assumption that Danny Rose is on his way out, though he may be less desirable now he is suffering a recurrence of the knee injury that kept him out for 10 months. Shaw excelled under Pochettino at Southampton and while he has looked unfit and lacking in confidence at Old Trafford, the Argentine has a fine history when it comes to developing young full-backs.
Ryan Sessegnon
Fulham’s 17-year-old starlet comes with less baggage than the Manchester United defender, although he’s in more demand which could spark a bidding war. Having recently signed his first professional contract, he has scored seven goals this season and assisted a further four – including a recent hat-trick against Sheffield United.
Malcom
The Bordeaux forward has caught the eye with a few spectacular goals, though the Brazilian could cause Spurs to break their record fee of £30million. The number seven can play in several positions behind the striker and so could provide a further option to rotate with Heung-Min Son, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli, and Eriksen.
Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian made it clear he wanted to leave Leicester in the summer but a move failed to get off the ground, despite him going AWOL on Deadline Day. The 26-year-old has never quite hit the heights he achieved in the 2015/2016 season, but there’s no doubt about what he can offer – crucially, more width, which Spurs have lacked, especially at home.
Wilfried Zaha
At present, it looks like Zaha is being weighed up against Mahrez and while the Ivorian has shone at Crystal Palace, his brief and underwhelming stint at Manchester United is still hanging over him. Is he simply a big fish in a small pond? The 25-year-old is capable of spectacular runs, but while he’s often involved, what he’s doing isn’t always actually that constructive.
Gareth Bale
Surely not. The romantic appeal of a heroic return in the manner of Paul Pogba is enough to set the heart racing. Realistically, however, the Welshman is in a difficult position at Real Madrid, because his injuries mean he is going to struggle to command the kind of fee Florentino Perez would expect. Then there are his wages, which are believed to be well over the £300,000-a-week mark. Is he really going to slash that by two-thirds? Levy will be reluctant to do business with Los Blancos again having terminated the two clubs’ ‘special relationship’ in 2014, especially as there’s every chance the European champions would want Dele Alli or Harry Kane in return. Bale has made just four starts in La Liga this season, so some things are best left in the past.
