What Does Tottenham Need to Do in January?

It’s difficult to find tremendous fault in a team capable of what Tottenham accomplished against Arsenal on Sunday. While the match ended as a draw, it was a team-wide quality performance that should rightfully go down as one of the better efforts Tottenham have mustered since Mauricio Pochettino arrived last summer.

With all that in mind, what could be in store for Tottenham in the January transfer market? Are their some final tweaks Pochettino and Paul Mitchell feel are necessary to take this team to the next level?

The short answer is likely ‘no’. Tottenham’s revolving-door injury list has strained the club to its limits, but its still be able to survive and even thrive in some stars’ absences. With the next generation of talented academy graduates waiting patiently in the development squad or on the bench, Pochettino should feel that the safety net is secure.

If Tottenham were to look for some talent in the mid-season transfer window, it likely would be something similar to the move made for Dele Alli last January. Securing the rights to the young English star from League One side MK Dons was new Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell’s first real accomplishment with the club since arriving in the prior November. He might attempt to replicate that success if the opportunity arises.

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Such a move would only be completed for the right player though. There’s enough quality coming up through the ranks to cover almost each position on the field. To attempt to find talent from outside the club before those players can be tested might be a waste of money, and indeed might be a blow to the kids’ confidence.

If there’s one exception to Totteham’s quality in positional depth, it’s at striker. While the arrival of Heung-min Son helps, Harry Kane remains the first team’s only recognized centre-forward for the foreseeable future. Given the debacle Daniel Levy managed in attempting to acquire Saido Berahino from West Brom, it seems unlikely that Tottenham till splurge on the transfer market for an experienced understudy anytime before next summer.

The scarcity of talent up top for Tottenham runs fairly deep. The next best option within the club’s development structure is Shaquile Coulthirst, a player who has so far struggled to earn his first start on loan to League One side Wigan this season. Needless to say, that’s a less than ideal situation for Tottenham. With Kane rediscovering his form and Son a capable backup if needed, it’s not quite an emergency. The club will be looking for cost-effective options wherever it can though.

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So should Mitchell initiate a move on Tottenham’s behalf in January, it will likely be for a young, undervalued striker. Basel wunderkind Breel Embolo has been on the club’s radar since at least the summer. The 18-year-old Swiss has scored give goals in ten starts for the reigning Super League champions, and that seems only to be the beginning.

It’s difficult to say as of now how ‘undervalued’ Embolo might be – Tottenham are rumored to be joined in their pursuit by both Arsenal and Wolfsburg – but the young goalscorer is broadly the type of player Mitchell and company will be on the lookout for. A precocious talent somewhere in the lower leagues of England or in the lesser domestic leagues in Europe, one that makes up for a lack of experience with natural skill and the ability to learn.