Tottenham look to be discovering some form at exactly the right time.
Mauricio Pochettino has enjoyed a perfect week, watching his side pick up an excellent late win at in form Swansea before booking a Capital One Cup semi final with Sheffield United with a 4-0 hammering of Newcastle.
And Spurs did the unthinkable and made it two wins at White Hart Lane on the bounce, beating an improving Burnley side 2-1 yesterday to move up to sixth in the Premier League table.
A chase for a fourth Champions League place and some silverware is now a genuine possibility in the Argentine coach’s first season in charge, and he will surely be looking to strengthen his squad further in January to help those chances.
Tottenham had a quiet summer transfer window by their usually busy standards, so some January business is expected.
The club have been linked with a host of names, so here we have gone through the rumours and identified five deals Pochettino would be wise to stay clear of this winter.
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Click on Mauricio Pochettino to reveal 5 transfers that Tottenham should AVOID at all costs in January
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Jay Rodriguez
The Southampton striker is a player who excelled under Pochettino last season, and has been linked with a move to White Hart Lane since the Argentine coach took over.
But Rodriguez is recovering from a nasty injury, and should stay on the south coast in an attempt to rediscover the kind of form that made him a dead certainty for the England squad last season.
The pressures of a big money move at a stage when he is still in recovery could go horribly wrong.
Virgil van dijk
The 23-year-old has emerged as a top performer for Celtic over recent seasons, and Tottenham remain on the lookout for a new centre back.
But coming in at the half way point of the season is difficult for any centre back, let alone a youngster who is used to playing week in week out in the SPL.
The step up to the Premier League in a position where you often get left unpunished, may not be the best idea for Tottenham if they are serious about challenging for that top four spot.
A defender of more experience and proven in one of Europe’s top leagues would be a better bet.
Ron Vlaar
As well as Virgil van dijk, Tottenham have been linked with another Dutch defender to solve their defensive issues, this time in the form of Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar.
Vlaar’s performances at the World Cup leave a case to be argued he may excel with better players around him, but his performances at Premier League level over a long period of time at Villa have not done enough to suggest he is the top centre back Spurs are after, even if he is available for a cut price fee this winter given his contract situation.
Saido Berahino
Saido Berahino has emerged as one of the top young British talents over the past 12 months, but he is certainly not worth the £25million being quoted by West Brom.
Berahino should spend a whole season scoring consistently at the Hawthorns before he considers a big money move, and Tottenham should do the same.
A £25million move at the half way point of the season for a player who has only scored a handful of Premier League goals over his short career, would be reminiscent of Liverpool’s £35million move for Andy Carroll in January 2011.
Fernando Llorente
The powerful Spanish forward has fallen down the pecking order at Juventus, and Tottenham are said to be keeping tabs on his situation.
Llorente has flopped in Italy however, and does not fit in with Pochettino’s style of fast, high intensity football. He would make a decent option from the bench when chasing a game, but for the price being quoted, a move for Llorente would represent bad business.
Tottenham would be better suited to a forward with pace who can play alongside either Kane or Soldado, rather than someone built to hold the ball up and win long balls the way Llorente is.
