Who will Spurs say goodbye to the winter?

With the winter transfer window now open, it’s time to speculate about which Tottenham players will get the boot.

One name that inevitably finds its way into discussion is Emmanuel Adebayor. The striker is the textbook example of a “hot and cold” player, the definition of inconsistency. When he’s hot, he’s untouchable. When he’s cold, touching him will cause one to freeze into a block of ice and shatter into a million pieces. His very successful loan spell at Tottenham in 2011/2012 prompted the team to purchase him from Manchester City the following summer.

Since then, his tenure has been tumultuous, with lackluster performances, an exile by former coach Andre Villas-Boas, and a brief resurrection under Tim Sherwood. Ultimately, he does not appear to fit into any of Pochettino’s plans, and it would be best for both him and the club that he moves on. The only problem I see is finding a club who actually wants him. At 30 years old, he doesn’t have a whole lot to offer. At this point, I think that ANY offer for him is a good offer.

While we’re on the topic of strikers, what about Soldado?

He’s been a real heart-breaker for Spurs fans, myself included. I remember that I could hardly contain my excitement after learning of his transfer to Tottenham; finally, we have a real striker! I feel I’ve been patient with him, but after a season and a half, he still hasn’t produced results that are even remotely promising. Perhaps Soldado will be dealt with in the summer, especially if we sell Adebayor during this window, but at this point, I can’t see him staying too much longer.

[linequote] From the beginning, I thought Paulinho was a naïve purchase by Levy, done in haste after a few promising performances at the Confederations Cup[/linequote]

Looking at the midfield, there are a number of players that I could see leaving, with Paulinho and Mousa Dembélé seeming like the most likely to go.

First of all, Paulinho was not a good purchase. Although it is undeniable that he has talent, I do not think he has lived up to his £17 million price tag. This is not his fault, however. From the beginning, I thought this was a naïve purchase by Levy, done in haste after a few promising performances at the Confederations Cup. I think that from the beginning, Paulinho was portrayed as being a much better player than he actually is. As a result, his play has been met with disappointment from Spurs fans. Not even a regular starter now, I do think that Paulinho will be able to find his way, just not at Tottenham Hotspur. He should be able to garner plenty of interest from other teams, and I think he could easily be sold in this window.

Mousa Dembélé has had his ups and downs at White Hart Lane. My opinion of him is constantly in flux. Sometimes, I wonder why we don’t utilize him more. Other times, I wonder why he’s still at the club. Regardless, he does not appear to be in Pochettino’s long-term plans. But I get this funny feeling about Dembélé. I cannot shake the idea that he will become a great player once he moves from Spurs. The scenario kind of reminds me of what happened with Gervinho. He was a fantastic player at Lille, but a total bust at Arsenal. After his move to Roma, he regained his form and is a key player for them. Dembélé has followed a very similar trajectory so far: he looked like a future star at Fulham, but has failed to leave a lasting mark at Tottenham. Will a move allow him to regain his form? As I said, I just have this funny feeling.

As far as the defense goes, I could see Younès Kaboul, Kyle Naughton, and hopefully Benoît Assou-Ekotto being shown the exit.

Younès Kaboul has been plagued with injury during his time at Tottenham, and even when healthy he has been an error-prone centre back. Despite the fact that Pochettino named him captain at the beginning of the season, Kaboul has not been able to measure up to the performances of Federico Fazio or Jan Vertonghen. Like Soldado, I see him has someone that will probably be dealt with in the summer rather than now, but you can’t rule out a winter transfer.

To put my next point bluntly, Kyle Naughton lacks the quality to play for a top five side such as Tottenham. He would make a good signing for a team lower on the table, but he doesn’t cut it for Spurs. And with the early arrival of DeAndre Yedlin, there’s little reason to hold on to him any longer.

[linequote]I cannot shake the idea that Dembele will become a great player once he moves from Spurs. The scenario kind of reminds me of what happened with Gervinho[/linequote]

Finally, there’s Benoît Assou-Ekotto. He’s one of those players that begs the question, “what is he still doing at Tottenham?” He was loaned out to Queens Park last season, but hasn’t featured in a single match under Pochettino. I really have no clue if we’ll be able to sell him, or if we’ll just let his contract expire at the end of the season. Needless to say, he adds absolutely no value to the organization.

Of course, plenty of Spurs players besides those mentioned above have been thrown into the whirlwind of transfer talk that begins around this time of the year. It’s possible that every single player I discussed will be sold, but it’s also possible that none of them will be sold. Transfers tend to be so unpredictable, especially when Levy was in charge of them (although reports say he now has a much more reduced role in transfers). I guess the takeaway from all of this is that you should completely disregard everything you’ve read, as it’s probably no more accurate than anything else you’ll read about Tottenham transfer news.

Nevertheless, this winter window should prove to be interesting, with a surprise or two possibly in store.