Tottenham Will (Mostly) Remain Quiet in January

Mauricio Pochettino is constantly questioned about Tottenham’s plans for January, so the Argentine manager decided to provide yet another answer.

With five more days left in December, the January transfer window is upon the Premier League. Rumors will likely go into overdrive, prompting speculation as to which club(s) will sign which player(s), causing excitement or confusion.

And caught in all of this hustle and bustle is Tottenham. A team that has mostly remained quiet during January since Mauricio Pochettino became manager.

The 44-year-old Argentine boss saw only five players total come in or go out.

In January 2015, Spurs signed DeAndre Yedlin and Dele Alli (who would return to MK Dons on a season-long loan before rejoining in the summer). Going out the other way was Kyle Naughton, who got sold to Swansea City.

January 2016 saw even less movement with Tottenham signing Shilow Tracey. A striker that caught the eye of Mauricio Pochettino and his staff. But other than a high ceiling for his potential, not much is known of the kid.

As for players being sold, no one left via transfer. Making Tracey the only acquisition Spurs got. In a league title hunt no less. It was a statement that rang very loud and clear: Spurs rarely conduct business in the winter no matter the circumstance.

So this brings us to January 2017. What can we expect from Spurs you might ask? Well, again, nothing really. Tottenham will remain mostly quiet just like a majority of the league will. Unless they’re fighting for survival at the bottom half of the table.

The starting XI is practically set, and anyone coming into this squad must be very good to even crack into Mauricio Pochettino’s starting lineup.

If this past summer transfer window wasn’t already an indication into the state of this team’s squad, it’s that depth is what is needed. Not necessarily a player who could supplant a starter, like Victor Wanyama did to Eric Dier.

Therefore, Pochettino has said that a “special situation” is what could cause Spurs to make any moves. So in layman’s terms, expect some deadline day deals to happen if the situation is right. Though Pochettino has said he is already happy with his squad.

“I am happy with the squad,” Mauricio Pochettino said (via ESPN FC). “At the same time I recognise it is always very difficult to improve the squad in January. Because the best players, it is difficult for their teams to allow the good players to leave halfway through the season.”

“If some special situation happens, maybe we need to be open. But it will be tough or difficult to improve the squad in that period.”

Indeed, with the season reaching its halfway point, clubs are reluctant to make a move or two for players that will essentially learn on the fly adapting to a manager’s system.

Doing so won’t see a good return on a team’s investment. Not initially at least, but over time sure. Which is why summer transfer windows are always busy rather than their winter counterparts.

So then, who could Pochettino possibly look at? Seeing as how it’s all rumors and all, one player is apparently “good” in the Spurs manager’s eye: Wilfried Zaha.

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“I don’t want to speak about a player at another club. That was another rumour…” Pochettino said. “But I like good players and he is a good player. But I don’t like to start focusing on some names. Then you start a rumour.”

If you’re wondering who the previous rumor was that involved Spurs being linked to another player, that would be Morgan Schneiderlin. Although Mauricio Pochettino quickly dismissed any connection he had with his former player.

“It was a rumour. There was never interest in him,” Pochettino added. “We never made an offer [to Southampton]. We never made an offer to him.”

Harry Winks’ development may have played a part in his decison-making process, but once again Mauricio Pochettino brushed that assumption aside. Either way, Winks has shown that he deserves more minutes this season.

“Harry is independent of any other situation in terms of whether we can improve our squad.” Pochettino explained.

“In the last few months, Harry has appeared with power and I think he is doing a great job for the team. He is playing very well and I am very happy with him. It’s true that the beginning of the season and today, Harry was improving a lot. Now he is going forward and he is showing that he can play in the starting XI.”

“He can play like a holding midfielder but he is a player that can adapt. His quality is that he is a player that can adapt his skills in a different position. That is fantastic.”

And finally, more shakeup is happening behind the scenes involving Tottenham’s five-man transfer committee. Paul Mitchell has resigned back in August but is currently serving his notice, per Dan Kilpatrick of ESPN FC, but now it appears that Ian Broomfield, Spurs’ chief scout has left too, earlier this month.

Next: Tottenham Scout Report: Saints More Bark than Bite?

This greatly impacts Spurs’ transfer strategy moving forward even if Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t think that it will. And the first domino that fell was opting for Vincent Janssen when Daniel Levy balked at Michy Batshuayi’s price tag and wages but paid a slightly lesser value for Moussa Sissoko in a panic buy.

“Nothing’s changed,” Pochettino said when discussing Tottenham’s transfer strategies after Ian Broomfield left and Paul Mitchell resigned.

“I always had the chairman’s number and that changes nothing! We have a very good communication with Daniel and nothing changes. With the people next to us we will work in the same way.”

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