A look at who should leave and who should join Spurs this January.
Tottenham were one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market during the summer, using the money from the £85m sale of Gareth Bale well, and even taking their total spending to over £100m as they also sold the likes of Clint Dempsey and Scott Parker. There is still work to be done on this squad though, as Andre Villas-Boas’ side are still carrying a few passengers and lack a bit of quality particularly upfront. We have a look at the players who could make way and more that could come in at White Hart Lane when the transfer window opens for business again this January.
Out: Lewis Holtby
Signed just last January after some fantastic performances in the Bundesliga for Schalke, Lewis Holtby has sadly not managed to make quite the same impact in the Premier League with Tottenham. The young midfielder now faces even more competition for places in the starting lineup with so many new arrivals being brought in during the summer, and it’s getting harder to see how the German international now fits into things in the Spurs team.
Schalke have been linked with taking Holtby back and may even be able to activate a buy-back clause in his contract to do so, and the player himself may feel it is tempting to return to the club where he first found his best form. There is interest from Italy as well from Inter Milan and Roma, and Holtby could certainly have several choices to choose from if Spurs decide to let him go this January.
Given they have so many talented players in his position, it may be wise for Spurs to let Holtby go and reinvest the money in other areas of their squad, and given he is still a highly rated talent, they could make a decent profit from the sale, as they managed to snap him up for just over £1m last year.
In: Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid)
With Spurs enjoying plenty of options in midfield, the sale of Holtby could perhaps go towards strengthening their options in the left-back department. Manager Andre Villas-Boas had looked at several players for that position in the summer due to being unconvinced by Danny Rose in that position, and it is thought that he is still looking to improve on the England youngster this January.
Tottenham supposedly have a special agreement with Real Madrid following the sale of Luka Modric last summer, though they are yet to really benefit from it, as Gareth Bale’s sale since then is the only other piece of business between the two sides. Perhaps they will now look to take advantage and try their luck for Portuguese left-back Fabio Coentrao, who was also a target for the north London side during the summer.
However, Coentrao is also wanted by Manchester United and won’t come easily, though Spurs would be well advised to step up their interest in this quality full-back who would surely be an improvement on Rose.
Out: Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor initially looked a great signing for Tottenham after they brought him in on a permanent deal from Manchester City following an impressive first spell at the club on loan. However, he flopped massively in his second season at White Hart Lane and now looks to be on his way after Spurs tried desperately to offload him during the summer.
Inconsistent in front of goal, Adebayor is simply not the calibre of player Spurs need if they want to move forward, and their targeting of several big-name strikers during the summer spells out pretty clearly that they are looking to upgrade on the Togolese international if they could only get his enormous wages off their bill.
Queens Park Rangers have expressed an interest in taking the 29-year-old on loan, though manager Harry Redknapp admits it is unlikely, so it’ll be interesting to see where Adebayor does end up if Spurs manage to get rid of him this January.
In: Tom Ince (Blackpool)
One of Tottenham’s top targets for January is supposedly the highly-rated and exciting Blackpool winger Tom Ince. The 21-year-old has really shone in the Championship since leaving former club Liverpool for first-team football, and is now wanted back in the Premier League by several teams, including Newcastle and Everton who were in for him during the summer.
As well as that, there is even rumoured interest from abroad, with Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli all said to be looking at him, clearly indicating that Ince is a top talent and set for big things sooner rather than later. Tottenham of course have plenty of good options in the wide areas, including the in-form Andros Townsend, but could always do with improving on the likes of Aaron Lennon and Nacer Chadli. Signing Ince may be something of a luxury, but if he is available for as little as £4m, then it would be mad for Andre Villas-Boas to miss out on signing a player of such potential, who will surely be a star for club and country in the next few years.
Out: Jermain Defoe
Although Jermain Defoe has undoubtedly earned something of a legendary status during his long career with Tottenham, he has never quite looked like a player who would see the side make that step up to genuine title contenders. The England international has done well in fits and starts but fails to really perform consistently, particularly in the important and more challenging Premier League games.
Defoe has mostly featured in the Capital One Cup and Europa League this season, and this suggests that he may not be in Andre Villas-Boas’ first-team plans, with Roberto Soldado seeming the obvious first choice upfront since his £26m signing from Valencia in the summer.
The 31-year-old was linked with a return to his old club West Ham in the summer transfer window, and could be a good candidate for the transfer list when January comes around.
In: Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)
One name being linked with Tottenham at the moment who could be an excellent surprise signing is out-of-favour Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez. The Mexican has shown plenty of potential in his time at Old Trafford, though he has not been as regular a starter in the last couple of years with growing competition for places from the likes of big-money signing Robin van Persie and an improved Danny Welbeck.
Still, his finishing ability and composure in front of goal is not in question, and this saw him linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid and Juventus over the summer, though he ended up staying to fight for his place at United. As it seems increasingly clear that he isn’t in David Moyes’ plans, perhaps Spurs are wise to be targeting him, as there’s no doubt he would be an improvement on their current options upfront and could help fire them to the next level.
It remains to be seen if United will want to sell to a rival, but Spurs should do their best to pursue this deal and bring in an under-rated star of the Premier League.