Spurs transfer news: Levy outlines January window situation for Jose Mourinho
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has played down the chances of the club adding to their squad in the January transfer window.
The north Londoners have undergone a season of change in 2019/20, with Mauricio Pochettino being replaced by Jose Mourinho after a poor start to the campaign.
Will Tottenham sign anyone in January? Five things to know…
- Jose Mourinho was named Tottenham manager in November, replacing Mauricio Pochettino.
- The Portuguese manager has built a reputation over his career for spending big in the transfer market.
- However, Mourinho has insisted he needs to focus on improving the players at his disposal.
- Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has echoed this point, hinting at another quiet window.
- The north London club did not sign a single player last season.
As a result of the club’s lacklustre start under Pochettino, the rumour mill has been fraught with speculation linking Spurs to multiple targets.
However, new manager Mourinho has often played down the need for new signings, instead believing that the club must focus on improving the players currently at their disposal.
Tottenham have already seen signs of improvement under Mourinho, moving from 14th to fifth, while winning four of their last five Premier League matches, as well as reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Tottenham were drawn against RB Leipzig for the last-16, with ties set for February and March, and fans may now want to see some activity next month in order to help their quest to return to the Champions League final.
But Levy has hinted that the chances of Tottenham signing players are slim, after echoing Mourinho’s sentiments.
“Jose is on record as saying what we need now is to get the players playing better, which is what they are doing,” he told Standard Sport.
“He’s made it clear he is not looking for new players in January. He is happy with what he’s got and that’s why he said that.”
Looking to continue their improvements under Mourinho, Tottenham face one of the Portuguese’s former sides in Chelsea on Sunday.
A win for Tottenham would see them leapfrog the Blues into fourth, something that looked improbable just a few weeks ago.
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Levy: England need to get rid of spending “obsession”
The 2019/20 season is Tottenham’s first full campaign at their new stadium, having played their home games at Wembley for almost two years. This period coincided with Tottenham not signing any players for two transfer windows, between Lucas Moura’s arrival in January 2018 and Jack Clarke signing in July 2019.
Clarke was followed by Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon for significant figures, with Tottenham breaking their transfer record for the French midfielder.
And while Levy admits Tottenham do not have the same funds available as some of their rivals, the chairman insists his lack of spending does not come as a result of this.
“The problem is it is also about squad size, English versus non-English, because we have the homegrown rule in the Premier League,” he said.
“There are lots of circumstances why sometimes you don’t do a transaction. It wasn’t a case that we didn’t have money. We have to get rid of this obsession in England of spending money. It just doesn’t happen overseas.
“There is an amount we have allocated to spend each year in terms of net investment in the team. If you compare us to certain other clubs, they will have more money to spend. It doesn’t frighten us.”
