Will It Be Contracts Not Players Signed At Tottenham This Month?

At the time of writing we are just over one third into the January transfer window and it is fair to say that there has not been a frenetic pace to the activity. That is perhaps not to be unexpected as the pace will begin to pick up as we approach the end of the month.

One club that are yet to do any incoming business this month is Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino’s men currently find themselves 5th in the Premier League table and three points behind Liverpool in 4th and although there is still a lot of football to be played it is not quite the standing that anyone with the club would have hoped for.

The question that many fans are asking is whether or not Mauricio Pochettino and by extension club chairman Daniel Levy will delve into the market to enhance the Spurs squad in a bid to secure a return to Europe’s top club competition next season.

As things stand you have to wonder just who would be available at this time of the year to fill that remit, there is rarely value when business re-opens at the turn of each year with the deals that are done usually saved for the preserve of managers that have had to panic buy.

The current likelihood is that Tottenham will not be flashing the cash this month, that is not to say that they aren’t showing interest in potential targets but when you consider those to be the likes of Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace then the likelihood of the Ivorian making a move across London at this point of the season is unlikely.

That is because although Crystal Palace are not in immediate danger of relegation at present it would still be a very bold decision to sell what is arguably the prized asset when the task of beating the drop is still nowhere near complete.

So with that in mind maybe the Tottenham hierarchy will look so solidify what they already have at their disposal and instead of adding new faces they will look to make the ones they have more familiar. That of course meaning that new contracts are signed.

The likes of Harry Kane, Toby Alderweireld and Dele Alli are constantly linked with big money moves as the press imply that the North London outfit cannot much their ambition or perhaps more importantly the financial reward that their talent deserves.

So what better way to quash those rumors then by getting the trio of big names to put pen to paper. Only today there have been reports that midfielder Dele Alli is the next in line to have started contract talks with the wage offer reported to be 100k a week.

No this may not be a lot in the grand scheme of things especially when compared to what Alexis Sanchez could receive should he sign for Manchester City this month but at the same time it will not simply be a case of being of the Alli the former MK Dons player being offered 100k a week.

With that being just the basic wage there will be financial inducements to go alongside it such as goal bonuses, dare I say even a trophy winning bonus (no laughing at the back) not to mention other elements that can bump up his pay packet.

The wage structure has come under much scrutiny as of late with Tottenham seemingly having a steadfast refusal to break the rigid setup in a bid to attract the top tier players that become available, however now it seems that they may well have to in order to make sure the likes of Kane and Alderweireld do not eventually end up elsewhere.

I don’t think there is any inclination that either of the duo will be departing anytime soon but you only have to look at Kane’s comments on Monday when he said that he is happy to stay at Tottenham as long as he eventually ends up winning trophies.

Not just trophy, trophies. That indicates that the hitman sees his long term future in North London but you get a feeling that it is going to come at a price, one that with the form that he is in now is a price that it is ultimately worth paying.

If Tottenham can nail down their biggest names for a longer period then that will arguably be perceived as a better transfer window then if they just add another fringe midfielder to the squad. A new face is always nice but having a star player commit their long term future is even better.