Tottenham supporters have spent today drowning their sorrows in the Football Transfer Tavern having seen their side knocked out of the FA Cup at the expense of Leicester City on Saturday.
Whilst it wasn’t the same level of shock that Manchester City experienced at home to Middlesbrough or indeed Chelsea experienced at home to Bradford City, the late loss to the Premier League strugglers will come as a huge blow to Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham are a draw against Sheffield United away from reaching Wembley in the Capital One Cup Final so the feeling was that the confidence from one cup run could breed another.
Now it will be all about Wednesday night at Bramall Lane and then the race for the top four.
And yesterday’s result showed that whilst Tottenham may have been on a decent run, a couple more additions would certainly not go amiss.
Spurs shocked most onlookers when completing the surprise signing of then New Zealand international veteran Ryan Nelsen in January 2012 and we wonder whether any shock additions could be still made this month.
Leaving it late, we have identified five potential surprise signings that could still go ahead before the close of the window.
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Click on Mauricio Pochettino to reveal 5 ‘surprise’ deals Tottenham could seal this January.
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Memphis Depay
The 20-year-old announced himself in the summer by becoming one of the youngest ever goalscorers at a World Cup for the Netherlands.
The skillful winger attracted interest from Spurs in the summer and reports suggest PSV Eindhoven are willing to sell for a fee of £15 million this month.
Manchester United have also expressed an interest in Depay who is capable of playing on either flank or centrally as a support striker. The fact Tottenham would be willing to offer more regular first team football may see them the slight favourites for this deal.
Kevin Mirallas
The Belgian showed Tottenham fans what he is capable of with a superb strike during Everton’s defeat at White Hart Lane in late November.
He has struggled to recapture his best form for the Toffees this season with Roberto Martinez feeling the pressure at Goodison Park.
Mirallas considers himself good enough to be playing at a top four side and may fancy the prospect of London.
Spurs are reportedly willing to offer cash and Aaron Lennon in part exchange to make the deal happen for the man at the centre of that penalty controversy last week. After all, who knows; his Goodison Park future may have altered slightly after that particular mishap!
Yevhen Konoplyanka
Tottenham fans may remember Yevhen Konoplyanka from a Europa League tie against Ukraine side Dnipro last season.
He was the man who buried a penalty to condemn Spurs to a first leg defeat at a time in which the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United had registered an interest.
Now it looks as though Tottenham are in the driving seat for the signature of the tricky winger with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. A cut-price deal could well be forced through before the close of the transfer window.
Jay Rodriguez
It may come as a surprise to see Jay Rodriguez linked with a move this month considering he is in the process of recovering from a serious injury.
That said, reports suggest Manchester City and Liverpool are set to step up their interest in the England international which may well force Tottenham into action.
The striker has been linked with Tottenham ever since Pochettino took over in the summer with the pair enjoying great success on the south coast last term.
Rodriguez forced his way into the England squad and finished only behind Daniel Sturridge as the division’s highest scoring Englishman.
Paco Alcacer
The last time Tottenham signed a forward from Valencia, it didn’t turn out as well as everyone had hoped.
That has not put Pochettino off registering an interest in Valencia’s Spanish international forward Paco Alcacer however, with reports suggesting Tottenham are ready to bid £15 million for his services before the close of the transfer window.
Alcacer is just 21-years-old but is highly-rated in his homeland, so much so that he has already been capped for the Spanish national side.
He would represent a marquee signing before the end of the month and a sign that Spurs are willing to fight to the end for that final Champions League place.
