In truth, there have been relatively few rumours linking Spurs players into or away from the club and this has been a relatively quiet window so far. However, it seems that Harry Redknapp has spent most of his time deflecting attention away from the majority of players already in the squad.
Steven Pienaar and Niko Kranjcar enjoyed solid performances against Cheltenham at the weekend and while both will expect to return to the bench tomorrow night, Harry insists that they are very much part of his plans.
‘Players like Pienaar and Kranjcar are good players and they can get in the team,’ Redknapp said. ‘You saw on Saturday that they have quality and they have a big part to play between now and the end of the season.
‘Pienaar is a good lad and he is in the running to play on Wednesday now that he has got a game under his belt.’
Quite where Pienaar will slot in is unclear and after a miserable 12 months at Spurs, the rumours of a return to Goodison are gathering momentum but Harry continued to defend the midfielder.
‘With Pienaar the problem has been his injuries,’ Redknapp said. ‘He has never really got up and running. He seems to have injury after injury.
‘He was one of their main players at Everton and it has been a difficult year for him.’
So for Niko and Steven at least, it seems there will be no departure from the Lane this winter.
Pav, Gio, Bassong, and Pienaar should all be sold; I’d like to keep Niko, though, since I think he’s both quality and an immediate backup to both VdV and Modric.
I’d move the rest on, though, and replace with same position — CB, wing (can play both sides), and forward — 1 of each please. If possible a young backup keeper would be nice, but that can wait till summer if need be.