With the season almost coming to an end and most of the big spenders in the transfer market starting to tail their targets, Tottenham who have all but made top 4 this season will look forward to playing in the Champions league next season. Of course they will need some quality players in Central Midfield role and an able back up striker for Kane, but what is more important than new signings is to not disturb the balance and nucleus of the current squad.
How does one achieve that? Well, the answer is simple. You give contract extensions to your key players. Harry Kane recently signed a new contract and with club captain Hugo Lloris still having a good 3 years under his contract length with the club, the next key players that Pochettino would like to tie down in order to keep the giants from taking them away from the club are Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela.
Why them? Why not Dembele or Dier? What about Rose who has arguably been the best LB in the Premier League this year? He would have potential suitors but the above mentioned players have been key to Spurs’s performances since their day 1 at the club. They are genuine match winners. They are the players, fans and the squad will turn to when they want something outstanding and out of the blue to happen during the bad days at the office. That list includes Kane obviously but since he already signed a new contract, he is not been talked about.
Vertonghen and Eriksen have been rumored to be in talks over a new contract. They have won games single handedly in the past, maybe Jan not so much as his Danish counterpart but we saw the formidable partnership between Vertonghen and Toby this season and Spurs will want that duo to deliver for more years to come. Spurs will be looking to change their reputation as a selling club and with the good work Pochettino has been investing in the footballing side of things, Spurs look like real contenders for all the domestic competitions.
Lamela has been a player who has done all the dirty work and provided goals and assists when needed. Totally turning his career around in matter of months, has got prying eyes for his signature and Spurs will want to keep the Argentine star at the club.
If they do succeed, they will have not only shown real intent in not being a selling club but also signal to lot of their potential targets that Spurs mean business in Europe and are not going to be pushovers. Young exciting and quality players will probably want to join Spurs over other possible clubs in the Premier League and Europe. With the new stadium coming in a few years, this transfer window and the 2016-17 season is crucial and Spurs will want to go in with their best squad for that. They should start so by holding onto their stars, something they haven’t been really good at in the recent past, but things look like they will change for the better in North London.
