In just seven days Fabio Paratici and Tottenham will be able to make a move in the transfer market. Although it may not seem that long ago since Spurs brought players such as Richarlison and Yves Bissouma through the door in the summer, January is almost here and that means the possibility of new signings.
Following a highly successful winter market earlier in the year, more of the same will be expected from Spurs this time around as they look to improve Antonio Conte's Tottenham squad. Bolstering the numbers back in the summer with six additions to the 2022/23 squad, now it is about adding much more quality to help Tottenham achieve their ambitions before the season is out.
So what would constitute the best case scenario and the worst case scenario for Tottenham in the January transfer market? football.london takes a look below.
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Best case scenario
The best case scenario in the January transfer market is that Daniel Levy and Paratici manage to tick off everything on Conte's wishlist and Spurs hit a new level in the process. Heavily linked with Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol in the summer, a deal for one of the duo could revolutionise Tottenham's backline with the pair rated extremely highly in the game.
Gvardiol would undoubtedly be the one Tottenham fans would love to see sign on the dotted line after such an impressive World Cup campaign for Croatia. Another player who wowed at the tournament in Qatar was Denzel Dumfries of the Netherlands.
Coming to the attention with his attacking displays at Euro 2020, the right wing-back did likewise again and contributed with one goal and two assists in Netherlands' 3-1 win over the United States in the Round of 16. Making his mark in the final third on a regular basis for Inter Milan, the 26-year-old could be the player to help solve Tottenham's woes in that area of the pitch. As his transfer valuation will have increased following the tournament, Spurs could potentially look at including Emerson Royal in a deal to bring the fee down as the Brazilian himself has been linked with a switch to the San Siro.
Conte will also have his fingers crossed that the club can secure a deal for a Dejan Kulusevski alternative in the winter market as his absence for 10 games in October really impacted the side going forward. Eintracht Frankfurt's Daichi Kamada and Atalanta's Ruslan Malinovskyi could be signed in cut-price deals as they will soon be in the final six months of their contracts, although James Maddison would be the dream option for many due to the numbers he has wracked up for Leicester City over the past 18 months and because of his homegrown status.
In terms of outgoings, Japhet Tanganga, Bryan Gil, Pape Matar Sarr and Harvey White would really benefit from loan deals after barely playing any football so far this season. A potential permanent exit for Davinson Sanchez would also help Spurs balance the books if they can bring in one of Bastoni or Gvardiol to strengthen the backline.
Permanent exits for Sergio Reguilon, Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele would also further help matters as the loan quartet are clearly not in Conte's plans going forward.
Worst case scenario
The worst case scenario in the transfer market is that Conte is left frustrated by Tottenham's transfer activity come the start of February. It's something Spurs must avoid as it could potentially prove pivotal to whether or not the club achieve their ambitions come the end of the campaign.
What could frustrate Conte is if Spurs fail to strengthen key positions in his team. The club need to find an answer to their right wing-back troubles, while another experienced centre-back to play in the middle of the back three would be a welcome addition to increase the competition in the ranks.
Spurs also need to find a Kulusevski alternative as his absence was dearly felt in the past. Failure to do that and it could lead to even more woes in the final third if the Swede faces another spell on the sidelines at such a critical point of the season.
What Tottenham must also ensure is that they have a happy squad at the end of the transfer window. As a handful of players have struggled for minutes and would benefit from loan spells elsewhere, the last thing Spurs need is for them to not get the move they want and be left rather irked by a lack of opportunities coming their way in what remains of the campaign.
In that case, the Lilywhites also need Reguilon and Winks to remain with Atletico Madrid and Sampdoria, respectively, and be a huge success in the second part of their loan deals after an injury-hit time so far. Reports from the respective countries have hinted about both clubs cutting the deals short and that's the last thing Spurs need as they need to be playing week in, week out, to get their careers back on track.
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