Alejo Veliz and the 10 Tottenham players who will exit Spurs in the January transfer window
The January transfer window is almost upon us and it’s not only about Tottenham bringing players into the club as some squad members may depart
Losing additional players from Ange Postecoglou’s choices might not seem like the best course of action, since Tottenham is severely short-staffed. But there are always unforeseen opportunities during the January transfer window.
Next month, Postecoglou will start to get some of his long list of injured players back, including Manor Solomon, James Maddison, and Micky van de Ven, with Rodrigo Bentancur behind them a touch. Others will start to find themselves out of the matchday squad, down the pecking order, and potential moves elsewhere as players return and new recruits arrive at Hotspur Way in January.
The head coach of the Spurs may have some choices to make in the coming weeks, not the least of which is that the arrival and departure of players will be limited by the departure of captain Son Heung-min for the Asian Cup and the departure of Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma for the Africa Cup of Nations, where they will represent Senegal and Mali, respectively. Bissouma is also suspended for three more games.
These ten players are possible contenders to leave Tottenham next month, either permanently or on loan, if their situation permits them.
Hugo Lloris
The most obvious exit at the club but much depends on whether Lloris, Tottenham’s goalkeeper for more than 11 years, finally finds an offer to his liking. The World Cup winner turned 37 on Boxing Day and still has six months
left on what is expected to be a lucrative contract with Spurs, a deal that many other interested teams may find hard to match.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman also faces the possibility of missing a whole season of play because Postecoglou does not include him in matchday squads. The player declared last summer that he was looking for a new challenge, but none materialized despite interest from Saudi Arabia, Lazio, Newcastle, and Nice, his home club.
Since Guglielmo Vicario is the new starting goalie in N17, Spurs, who did not request a price for Lloris in the summer, will be hoping he finds a new club next month for both his own benefit and their payroll.
Eric Dier
Despite an injury and suspension problem at the back, Postecoglou has only made three appearances for the 29-year-old center defender this season, and it is obvious that he does not think the player fits well in his system. On one occasion, he has even used right-back Emerson Royal ahead of the veteran center back.
Dier’s contract position poses an unpleasant issue for the club, and his personal injury struggles in recent months have not helped either. The defender, like Lloris, only has six months left on his contract. Should he sign a permanent agreement next month, the considerably larger signing bonus he would have received as a free agent in the summer will be forfeited.
A loan move would be more appealing, especially if he retains any hope of a late run into Gareth Southgate’s
England’s European squad. Although it would not be ideal for Spurs, at least his pay for the remaining portion of his contract would be saved.
A new center-back is Spurs’ top objective in the January transfer window. If Dier is willing to depart, the team may consider offering him as a short-term makeweight to a team that is upset about losing a defender midway through the season.
Alternatively, given Tottenham’s injury problems and Postecoglou’s reluctance to fully put his faith in young players like Alfie Dorrington or Ashley Phillips just yet, he may choose to retain Dier to the end of his contract in case another injury issue arises.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Hojbjerg, who has only started three Premier League games under Postecoglou, has made a significant contribution to Tottenham this season, mostly coming off the bench on several occasions.
The 28-year-old’s contract is about to expire in 18 months, and with Sarr and the banned Bissouma leaving next month, it will be tough, but not impossible, for him to go if Spurs can find a replacement center midfielder.
The Danish player is determined to start more often, and the fact that Oliver Skipp started before him vs Everton and came off the bench before him at Forest may make him more determined to do so. Tottenham would definitely take a look at an enticing offer if it came in for him.
Oliver Skipp
The 23-year-old needs a regular run of first team football and that might come in the next month with Bissouma out. Skipp looked understandably rusty early on against Everton in his first Premier League start since the
first match of the season before settling into a groove and making several significant defensive plays in the second half.
Due to the squad absences and uncertainty surrounding Hojbjerg’s future, a loan move for the Spurs academy product appears unlikely for next month. However, anything could happen in the final days of the transfer window: Sarr and Bissouma could return early from the Africa Cup of Nations after the group stages, Bentancur recovers more quickly than anticipated, Hojbjerg’s move doesn’t materialize, and a new midfielder arrives.
However, it appears that Skipp is not interested in moving during the middle of the season and instead wants to compete for his position in Postecoglou’s midfield and continue to grow under the Australian.
Bryan Gil
As with Skipp, so the lack of numbers right now makes a loan move for Gil to get some regular football under his belt seem difficult to imagine. However, Spurs are looking to sign an attacker who can play out wide and through the middle, while Solomon is on his way back from his knee injury.
That coupled with an unexpected early return from Son from the Asian Cup would leave a busy area of players in the attacking positions which might open the door for Gil to get a move he probably needs on a personal level.
Ivan Perisic
The Croatian has a cruciate ligament injury, but we’ve included him on our list since he was previously connected to a January transfer to Hajduk Split.
Although Perisic expects to return a bit earlier to be considered for Croatia’s summer European selection, Spurs have formally declared him out for the season.
The seasoned wide winger, who will turn 35 in less than a month, did make an impression on Postecoglou and participated in the first few games prior to his injury, but Spurs would be amenable to an arrangement with the Croatian team if the player is as well, since his lucrative contract expires in the summer.
Ryan Sessegnon
Sessegnon is getting closer to rejoining the Spurs players for practice after undergoing hamstring surgery in the hopes of putting an end to his terrible experience with that particular issue.
“There are still a few weeks, if not more, till Session. When integrating him, we have to use extreme caution,” Postecoglou said to football.london last week.
After losing the 23-year-old to surgery before really seeing anything of him, the Spurs manager is rumored to want to give the player a thorough examination before determining whether or not Sessegnon could compete with Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie at left back or if a loan move is the best course of action for him to regain his value and confidence.
Alejo Veliz
An unlikely move perhaps with the 20-year-old settling in and getting used to life in England and adapting to Tottenham as a young striker from Argentina.
Veliz only has 14 minutes to his name so far under Postecoglou, spread across six substitute appearances, and with Son heading off to the Asian Cup the big forward will be needed as cover for Richarlison.
However, Spurs are set to recall Dane Scarlett from his loan at Ipswich Town and the 19-year-old academy product has already played more minutes for Tottenham, 45 of them in the second half of the Carabao Cup game
compared to Veliz at Fulham. The England Under-21 international is also barred from playing for a third club this season as a result of that appearance.
In the event that Tottenham signs a new attacker in the January transfer window who can play centrally, as Brennan Johnson and Son can with Richarlison, Postecoglou may feel that Veliz would benefit greatly from four months of regular football on loan in England or even in the similarly paced Bundesliga, especially with Scarlett back and Jamie Donley making significant progress this season. Alternatively, he may just believe that Veliz’s time to play more for Spurs is drawing closer after showcasing his goal-scoring prowess in the Argentine top division the previous campaign.
Brandon Austin/Alfie Whiteman
Spurs’ goalkeeping coach Rob Burch is now working with five senior goalkeepers in Vicario, Fraser, and Whiteman, who was observed returning to training.
Austin, who has started this season as the third-choice keeper, Fraser Forster, Lloris, Whiteman, and Vicario are the goalkeepers that are now available.
Josh Keeley, an Under-21 international for the Republic of Ireland, is also making an impact for Spurs’ competitive Under-21 squad. With so many goal alternatives available to the club, either Austin or Whiteman—who have both had loans from Scandinavian teams in addition to one from the MLS for Austin—should be able to go on loan if an offer is made next month.
Whiteman’s contract is set to expire in 2025, while Austin’s expires in the summer of 2023. Unless Tottenham finds a way to extend Austin’s contract, Whiteman appears to be the more probable contender.
Forster, Lloris, Whiteman and Austin, who has been the third choice keeper this season.
With Republic of Ireland Under-21s international Josh Keeley also impressing for Spurs’ high-flying Under-21s, the club has plenty of options between the sticks and that should allow for one of either Austin or Whiteman to head out on loan if an offer can be found next month with both having previously experienced Scandinavian loans as well as an MLS one for Austin.
Austin’s contract currently comes to an end next summer, while Whiteman’s deal is until 2025, so the latter seems the more likely candidate unless Tottenham have an option they can take to extend Austin’s deal.
