Spurs manager Jose Mourinho on the touchline (Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho’s reign at Tottenham Hotspur is now in full motion but we’re yet to see what kind of plan the Special One has for the first transfer window at his new club.
One thing is for sure, however, and it’s the fact that some players on Spurs’ books should be sold as soon as possible. So without further ado, here are three players Mourinho should be looking to ship off in January.
Life hasn’t been easy for Wanyama at Spurs for a while now. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder has been on the fringes for quite some time and his constant injury problems have definitely not helped his cause.
Having missed a total of 21 games due to a knee injury in the 2018/19 season, the Kenyan ace was out of the squad for most of that campaign and his bad fortune has carried on into this season as well – he’s currently ruled out until late January.
As a direct result of that, he has only played 23 minutes this season and with the likes of Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to contend with in central midfield, it’s debatable whether he’d be getting into the team anyway.
Injury problems may make him hard to get rid of in January but if a club is willing to take the chance, Mourinho should offload the powerhouse midfielder, who was linked with an exit in the summer.
The million-dollar question – should Spurs be looking to cut their losses with the Danish playmaker or should Mourinho be working hard to somehow make him sign a new contract?
With his current deal expiring in the summer, maybe the London squad should cash in before they lose him for free. He has also fallen behind Lucas Moura and Dele Alli in the pecking order. With Lo Celso also in the mix, Eriksen has found it difficult to rack up minutes in the league.
Obviously, Eriksen is a talented midfielder – he showed that with his stoppage-time assist to give Spurs the win over Wolves recently – but if his head and heart are not fully in it, it would be for the best if he left the club.
Daniel Levy has insisted he’s not scared of selling Eriksen to a Premier League rival and that’s great news for Spurs because if they don’t find an English suitor next month, the former Ajax man will be free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.
Since joining the club from PSG in 2017, Aurier has gone on to make 57 appearances for Spurs, with the Ivory Coast international often benched by Kieran Trippier, who was the club’s first-choice right-back before his move to Atletico Madrid in the summer.
This season, Aurier has claimed the right-back spot as his own and has looked very impressive in some fixtures but disastrous performances against the likes of Bayern Munich and Southampton have seemingly marred the opinion.
With a history of inconsistent performances as well as a poor injury record, selling Aurier might seem like a smart idea for Spurs, with AC Milan and PSG sniffing about, but keeping hold of the defender might be the more sensible option for the club.
Following the sale of Kieran Trippier in the summer, Spurs are now left with just Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters as the club’s only natural right-backs, and with another Champions League campaign to compete for this season as well as the usual domestic cup competitions, Mourinho will need depth in the squad and selling Aurier will be the right move to fund new players.
Tottenham should get rid of Aurier and sign someone who can actually offer solidity at the back while emulating Kieran Trippier at the same time.