Victor Wanyama against Bournemouth
LONDON, United Kingdom, Dec 27 – Tottenham are prepared to offload over Sh9.6 billion (£75million) worth of players in the January window as they fine tune their title-chasing squad.
Mauricio Pochettino is willing to listen to offers for Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and soon to be fit-again striker Vincent Janssen as the Tottenham manager focuses his attention on the squad that is six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Tottenham became the first club in Premier League history not to sign a new player in the summer transfer window and, while they have not ruled out adding in January, they already have too many players to fit into their Premier League and Champions League quotas.
Dembele is recovering from an ankle injury and the 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer. He is looking for a new challenge with Monaco holding an interest while Inter Milan had an offer rejected in the summer.
READ: Tottenham preparing to sell players worth £75million in January
Wanyama may be the surprise name on the list. He does not wish to leave but has been hindered by niggling knee injuries. He is under contract until 2021 and has been discussed by West Ham among others.
Nkoudou joined for Sh1.4 billion (£11m) but has struggled to make any impact. He had a brief loan spell with Burnley and is desperate to kickstart his career while Holland international Janssen, a Sh 2.1 billion (£17m) signing from AZ Alkmaar, is close to fitness again after surgery on his foot in the summer. Janssen was on loan to Fenerbahce but other clubs are ready to gamble on the 24-year-old in January.
Offers for Fernando Llorente and Michel Vorm could also come under consideration with both out of contract in the summer.
Pochettino’s options have been bolstered by Momo Sissoko’s resurgence plus the development of Kyle Walker-Peters and Juan Foyth while Oliver Skipp is the latest to break through from the academy.
In four years, the net spend for Pochettino has been Sh3.7 billion (£29m) as the club’s focus has been on securing the long-term futures of Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
The concern is whether they have enough cover for Kane should he pick up an injury. Club scouts have been looking to strengthen that position but finding quality in January for someone who is essentially going to sit on the bench barring a mishap is not easy.
Tottenham also know Toby Alderweireld has a Sh3.2 billion (£25m) clause which could become active in the summer but are willing to reject substantial offers until the end of the season to maintain momentum.
-By Daily Mail-
