Friday 16 November 2018 14:04, UK
After keeping their wallets in their pockets over the summer, will Tottenham make any signings in January to add to their squad?
Earlier this year, Spurs became the first club in Premier League history not to make a summer signing since the transfer window's inception.
Mauricio Pochettino has insisted he has "no regrets" over not bringing in fresh blood in the summer and results domestically back that up as Spurs sit well-placed in fourth place in the Premier League, just one point behind Chelsea and five behind leaders Manchester City.
Pochettino has said: "We need as a club in January to try to refresh the squad to move the club on," but which areas will they be targeting and is there a certain criteria the club looks for when recruiting new players?
And, who is on their radar?
We take a look....
Spurs fans hoping for a loosening of the purse strings or a change of policy this January are likely to be disappointed.
Unlike their top-six rivals, Spurs aren't a club that will go out and spent £65million on a goalkeeper like Liverpool or can dangle £400,000-a-week to lure Alexis Sanchez to the club. Tottenham are not going to do that.
In four years, the net spend for Pochettino has been £29m as the club's focus has been on securing the long-term futures of stars like Harry Kane and Dele Alli, plus, the new stadium on the old site at White Hart Lane is obviously taking up plenty of their capital.
What Tottenham do in January will depend on players currently out of contract and whether they can get an ideal replacement six-months in advance.
As it stands, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele are the key players out of contract, while Toby Alderweireld has a year-long option that can be activated but would allow him to leave for £25m within a specific time in the window next summer.
Fernando Llorente and goalkeeper Michel Vorm are also out of contract in summer but Sky Sports News understands, Spurs are willing to hold out until the summer to get ideal replacements in.
This suggests that the spine of the pitch will be where their focus will lie in this upcoming window with a centre-midfielder and centre-back positions of interest.
As we've seen during his tenure, Pochettino isn't afraid to put faith in young talent. Kane, Alli, Eric Dier and Harry Winks all have flourished into England internationals under his stewardship.
However, the Tottenham squad is short of the required homegrown quota, demanded by the Premier League. They have seven homegrown stars in their first-team - one short of the minimum required - so could name only 24 players for the start of their Premier League campaign rather than the full 25. Both Eric Dier and Ben Davies don't fall into the homegrown category as they both did much of their development in Portugal and Wales, respectively.
Tottenham were interested in filling that gap in the summer with a swoop for Jack Grealish. Spurs bid £25m for Grealish on Deadline Day, but were told Grealish was not for sale with the player said to be "disappointed and disillusioned" at the prospect of a failed move.
Therefore, it looks as though someone who ticks the homegrown box could be high on the club's wish-list should they decide to dabble in January.
Tottenham are closely monitoring Bournemouth's Nathan Ake as they scout for future defensive reinforcements in order to cover for the potential departures of Alderweireld and Vertonghen, Sky Sports News understands.
Ake has impressed since joining Bournemouth from Chelsea in 2017 and his profile ticks a number of boxes for Spurs' recruitment staff and Pochettino, who likes defenders to be versatile. Ake can play as a left back if required and would qualify as a homegrown player after coming through the ranks at Chelsea.
However, newspaper reports claim Chelsea have a 'gentleman's agreement' with the Cherries to be able to buy Ake back for £40m, and Manchester United are also watching his progress.
Pochettino's style mirrors the way Eddie Howe instructs his Bournemouth team to operate and with their pursuit of Grealish falling flat in the summer, Spurs may up their interest in other young homegrown talent with Lewis Cook of Bournemouth one of a few players the recruitment team have their eye on.
The ex-Leeds United midfielder captained England's Under-20 World Cup winners last year and has started 10 of Bournemouth's 12 Premier League games this campaign as his reputation continues to grow.
David Brooks and Callum Wilson also have admirers within the building at Tottenham.
Further afield, Tottenham remain interested in Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, according to Sky sources. The France U21 international is another that fits the profile Spurs are looking for. The combative midfielder was part of a Lyon team that beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League in September.
Ndombele is on a list at Spurs with the likes of Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure and Salzburg's Amadou Haidara.
Over to you...
