Swansea City Interested in Tottenham’s Tom Carroll
A potential sale this winter for any of Tottenham’s players are unlikely to happen according to Mauricio Pochettino. Even if Tom Carroll could fetch a nice profit should this transfer rumor prove true.
Leading up to Watford’s match on New Year’s Day, Mauricio Pochettino fielded two questions regarding Tottenham’s policy on buying players and selling them in the January transfer window.
His answer was simple and straight to the point.
If Spurs found a player that could improve their team (most likely as a backup) then they would sign him. If teams were inquiring some of Spurs’ players, they wouldn’t leave because it wouldn’t “make sense”.
Strictly speaking, any manager who wants to conduct business in the winter will find it quite difficult to strike a deal with teams hesitant to cash in on a player.
The return of European football and schedules being congested means depth is a must.
So it’s not surprising that Pochettino squashed any rumors before they began.
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“I don’t expect to do some business because I am happy with the squad that we have and I think it’s not the right moment. Only if there is the possibility to benefit us, if not, no.” Mauricio Pochettino told Tottenham’s official website on December 30th.
“I don’t expect that players will go out of the squad in January. There is no sense [in that].” the 44-year-old manager continued, if anyone would leave.
If no one is leaving, then what does this mean for Tom Carroll who is rumored to be a target for recently appointed Swansea City manager Paul Clement?
Carroll, who had signed a modest two-year contract extension back in September 16th, spoke of how he will be ready to take his chance if he gets one.
After making 30 appearances last season with 12 starts and three goals in all competitions, the 24-year-old central midfielder looked like he would continue to contribute this year. Instead, those valuable minutes have gone to Harry Winks.
As a result, Tom Carroll has only appeared three times this season in all competitions (two starts in the League Cup) with the first team.
His last appearance happened on October 25th against Liverpool in the League Cup’s fourth round. A 61-minute outing in just his second start.
Since that match, he has yet to make another appearance even on the substitute’s bench.
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If Kevin Wimmer’s situation looked bad to begin this season, with barely any playing time when Toby Alderweireld got injured (until just recently), then Carroll’s is worse.
Because of a lack of playing time, The Telepgrah’s John Percy believes Carroll is allegedly willing to forego another title challenge with Spurs to help Premier League strugglers Swansea escape relegation.
A transfer fee of £8 million has been placed on the head of Tom Carroll.
A youth academy product who has already spent some time on loan with the Swans two seasons ago making 18 total appearances, 13 in the Premiership (eight starts) under Garry Monk would be a good fit for Swansea.
However, as previously mentioned up top, Tom Carroll might not even be sold because Mauricio Pochettino already stated that it didn’t “make sense” to sell players in January.
It’s true that the English midfielder has struggled to maintain a rotational spot behind Mousa Dembélé and Harry Winks, but Carroll does serve some purpose on this squad no matter how difficult it may seem to grasp.
If Dembélé is the starter at central midfield and Winks is his backup/heir apparent, then Carroll would be the emergency backup in case Dembélé or Winks is injured, suspended or needs rest.
This seems unfathomable to many because as stated earlier, Tom Carroll hasn’t been used much this term, but the Europa League could be a good time to deploy the 24-year-old central midfielder.
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With Harry Winks fully establishing himself as a viable option to rotate Dembélé out of the starting XI for rest, Carroll is practically obsolete now.
But because of Spurs’ current position in the league, how far they go in the FA Cup and their Europa League ambitions, plenty of rotation will be needed to remain competitive in all three fronts.
Should Tom Carroll be sold for £8 million — a good return for a player who has hardly featured for Mauricio Pochettino — then Tottenham might be short-handed at central midfield.
Mousa Sissoko is a suitable backup for Winks, though he has shown improvement as a wide midfielder in recent weeks. Which is where he will likely remain even when Érik Lamela returns.
Therefore, just like Pochettino said, selling any player in January makes no sense.