Jose will splash out, but not yet
TOTTENHAM will provide Jose Mourinho with transfer funds next month, but he is not planning to spend extravagantly right away.
the spurs boss is open to strengthening his squad in the January window — a notoriously difficult time to make good-value signings — and will prioritise a new defender, primarily a right back.
nathan Ferguson of West Bromwich and Max aarons at norwich have been scouted.
But there is a sense Mourinho will hold back the majority of his transfer kitty for a far more significant splurge at the end of the season.
Mourinho knows his squad is likely to require major rebuilding work at the end of the campaign, with Christian Eriksen, toby alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all set to leave when their contracts expire.
the Portuguese knows he will need a substantial financial injection from the board during the close season to ensure his team remain competitive. Chairman Daniel levy has hinted that he may look to supplement the cash available to Mourinho by selling Eriksen in January.
the Denmark playmaker can leave for nothing in the summer, so tottenham will listen to offers for him next month. Real Madrid and Paris saint- Germain have been linked with Eriksen, but levy has suggested spurs have no qualms about selling him to a Premier league rival.
there has always been a sense that levy is reluctant to sell players to direct competitors, but the spurs chairman told the
London Evening Standard: ‘We are honestly not scared to trade with our rivals.
‘My view is really simple. For a player to sign a new contract, not only have the conditions got to be right, but the player has got to want to do it.
‘it is up to those players whether they want to stay at tottenham and we’ll see.
‘i don’t want to comment on individual players too much. i think it is unfair. Every circumstance is different.
‘there may be a player who wants to stay, there may be a player we don’t want to stay.’