Tottenham Transfer News: Janssen to Betis, Spurs to gazump Leicester for Tielemans? and more - 29th January, 2019

Welcome to Sportskeeda’s Tottenham Hotspur transfer round-up – your one-stop shop for all of the Spurs transfer news and rumours during the January transfer window.

It’s been a bit of a disaster week for Spurs; following a remarkable comeback win over Fulham, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were then dumped out of the EFL Cup by Chelsea before suffering a disappointing 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, putting paid to their FA Cup hopes in the process.

The feeling amongst most Tottenham fans is simply that the squad might be too thin to sustain a challenge in the Premier League and Champions League, and while Kane, Eriksen, Alli et al might prove that wrong, a January signing with two days left in the transfer window might raise fan morale at least.

Here are the latest rumours and snippets surrounding Tottenham’s activity in the current window.

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Has Vincent Janssen finally found his escape plan?

Dutch striker Vincent Janssen has suffered a torrid time at Tottenham since moving there in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £17m. He scored 27 Eredivisie goals for AZ Alkmaar in his last season there, but since joining Spurs he’s only found the back of the net on 6 occasions. Then again, he’s hardly had the chance; used as a substitute throughout 2016/17, he’s appeared for Spurs just once since the end of that season.

Janssen spent 2017/18 on loan at Fenerbahce, but a return of 5 goals in 18 games was hardly earth-shattering, and since his return to Spurs it’s been pretty clear that he doesn’t feature in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. That’s become even more notable recently, as Harry Kane’s injury has given Fernando Llorente a starting spot while youngster Kazaiah Sterling has been promoted to the main squad. Janssen? Nowhere to be seen.

That’s why it hardly comes as a surprise to see that Spurs are ready to offload the striker, and according to Sky Sports, La Liga side Real Betis might be his most likely destination. It’d be a good chance for Janssen to reboot his career, particularly if the move can be finalised before Thursday.

The wildest part about the report? Tottenham apparently value him at £15m – just £2m less than they paid for him initially, despite his lack of success and appearances over the last two and a half seasons!

Could Spurs gazump Leicester and sign Tielemans?

Could Tottenham gazump Leicester for the signing of Youri Tielemans?

It came as a surprise of sorts yesterday when news leaked out that Leicester City were interested in signing Monaco’s young Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans on loan, with a view to a potential £20m permanent deal somewhere down the line. Well, today The Telegraph is reporting that Spurs could be in line to steal Tielemans from under the nose of the Foxes.

According to the report, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is happy to give the move the green light and is just waiting on Mauricio Pochettino to confirm his interest in the player. It’d be a fascinating move for Tottenham to make, particularly as the squad is now short on a midfielder after the departure of Tielemans’ fellow Belgian Mousa Dembele.

At just 21, Tielemans clearly has a lot of potential, flashes of which were shown during his appearances for Belgium at the 2018 World Cup. He hasn’t had the best time at Monaco since his £20m move there in May 2017, but his overall record has improved this season, as he’s scored 5 goals and picked up 1 assist in 20 league appearances.

This one is interesting; the cut-price nature of the deal and Tielemans’ age means he’d be a solid candidate for a Pochettino signing, but I’m not sure if this could be paper talk as the Argentine has showed willing to push youngsters Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp into the midfield role vacated by Dembele. We shall see.

Carlos Soler to join in the summer?

Carlos Soler has been linked with a move to Tottenham in the summer

With the January transfer window nearly shut, it’s no surprise that Tottenham would begin to be linked with potential summer signings. The Express are reporting on one of those possibilities, namely Carlos Soler of Valencia. Again, the player fits the bill for a classic Pochettino signing; he’s 21 years old, has shown great potential, and he’d reportedly cost just £30m or thereabouts.

Interestingly, the report is claiming that Paris St. Germain could rival Tottenham for the Spain U-21 international’s signature, but in a bit of a twist, Soler would prefer a move to North London because he’d have more opportunities for first team football there.

A versatile midfielder who can act as a holding player, but can also play in an attacking role or even out wide, Soler showed his quality in Valencia’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League in December, where he scored the Spanish club’s opening goal.

A summer signing certainly seems more likely than a January one at this point so this should be a story to keep an eye on in the upcoming months. Spurs won’t be suffering their current injury crisis forever, but of course, a Dembele replacement is still potentially needed.

Udinese offer De Paul to Tottenham in a last minute deal?

Has Rodrigo de Paul's agent really offered him to Tottenham?

Okay, so this one is a little strange as apparently, the interest comes from the player rather than Tottenham. TeamTalk – via some reports in Italy – are suggesting that the agent of Udinese’s left-sided attacking midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has been in contact with Spurs in order to try to set up a move for the Argentine before the current transfer window closes.

The report suggests that De Paul would be available for around £30m, although Tottenham may well prefer a loan deal with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the season. De Paul is certainly an exciting prospect – 24 years old, he’s made 20 Serie A appearances this season and has scored 6 goals and made 3 assists.

The only issue? The report also suggests that Inter Milan could rival Spurs for the player’s signature, mentioning that they’re looking for a replacement for the likely-Arsenal bound Ivan Perisic. To me that suggests this report could purely be agent talk looking to drive Inter into making a bid, but who really knows?