Tottenham fans have been enjoying the start to 2015 more than most.
After all, how many other Premier League sides can say they put five past Chelsea?
The 5-3 win over Jose Mourinho’s men on New Year’s Day sent out a message to the rest of the Premier League that Spurs mean business in the race for fourth under their new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
In Harry Kane, Tottenham have a homegrown striker who is full of confidence and scoring goals for fun – 17 in all competitions already this season – whilst the recent upturn in form may well persuade chairman Daniel Levy to back Pochettino in the transfer market this winter.
If that is to be the case however, no doubt Levy will want to see some of the deadwood disposed of and it’s fair to say the club still have a fair bit floating about.
Here we have identified five players Pochettino could dispose of this month in order to raise some funds.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on Mauricio Pochettino to reveal 5 players Tottenham should AXE this January.
[/ffc-gallery]
Kyle Naughton
Tottenham are spoilt for choice in the full back positions at present and are set to strengthen further this winter when summer signing DeAndre Yedlin arrives at White Hart Lane following the end of his spell in the MLS.
That means young Kyle Naughton is likely to be axed in order to make way with Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, and even Romanian centre back Vlad Chiriches playing ahead of him in the right back position in recent weeks.
With United States international Yedlin set to arrive in the hope of earning a regular starting berth, Naughton has already been told he is free to find a new club.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Former fans favourite Benoit Assou-Ekotto has really fallen off the radar at White Hart Lane at recent times, yet he still remains on the club’s books.
The Cameroon international spent last season on loan at QPR before returning to North London yet he finds himself behind Danny Rose and summer signing Ben Davies in the pecking order.
An experienced player at Premier League level, Pochettino will be hoping he can recoup a couple of million at least for Assou-Ekotto during this transfer window with Tottenham full on numbers in the full back positions.
Paulinho
The Brazilian has been a major disappointment since his big money move to White Hart Lane in the summer of 2013. Billed as a midfielder capable of scoring goals and providing assists, Paulinho has done neither.
He currently finds himself behind Spurs youngsters Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb in the midfield pecking order and has made no secret of his desire to leave the club.
Paulinho is highly-rated in his homeland and was a regular starter for his country during the summer’s World Cup. This looks to simply be a case of a talented player being unable to hack the physical demads of the Premier League.
Mousa Dembele
The Belgian is another who will go down as a majorly disappointing signing were he to leave this month. Tottenham beat a lot of competition for his signature in the summer of 2012, having watched Dembele flourish in the centre of midfield for Fulham.
But following a bright start to his Tottenham career, Dembele has never been able to recapture that form and has been used sparingly this season – mostly in the Europa League group stages.
With Pochettino still keen on signing Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin, Dembele is likely to be one of those sacrificed in order to raise funds.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Perhaps the most infuriting player in Premier League football, Emmanuel Adebayor has gone from the sublime to the dreadful in the space of 12 months.
His goals almost fired Tottenham to the Champions League during the second half of last season whilst this year he has been unable to hit a barn door.
Harry Kane has deservedly established himself as the number one striker and Roberto Soldado’s price tag and more important work-rate sees him ahead of the Togolese star in the pecking order as well.
Pochettino is in the market for another reliable goalscorer and if he is to move for one this winter then it means Adebayor is the most likely to make way.
