Tottenham Fan View: No need for Mauricio Pochettino to panic buy despite Jan Vertonghen Injury

In press conferences throughout January, every good Premier League manager knows that no-one is even remotely interested in hearing about team selections or the in-depth tactical breakdown you might’ve prepared the night before — what are you, a nerd? —all anyone cares about is piping hot transfer gossip.

Mauricio Pochettino is not immune to the trend, he’s been in England for four years now and is well practiced in the art of defusing active speculation.

This week, the Argentine coach fielded questions about the chances of recruiting a deputy for Jan Vertonghen, who done-busted his ankle ligaments against West Brom last Saturday and is looking at six weeks on the peripheries.

I mean, what other possible solution could there be than to syphon a large amount of loot into the bank account of another club? Because everyone is so desperate to offload their premium talent half-way through the season. For a reasonable and not-at-all inflated price, too.

TalkSPORT have decided that one willing benefactor of said rotten pirate gold, might be Milan giants, Inter. Money to burn? I Nerazzurri have just the thing, in the shape of Italian centre-back, Andrea Ranocchia.

The 29-year old is thought of in great terms at the San Siro. Such glowing regard that he’s barely played this season and last January was loaned out to Sampdoria. It sounds like Spurs would be idiots not buy him.

Or, alternatively, they could look a little closer to home and entrust the very capable Ben Davies to step in for Vertonghen. The former Swansea man showed himself more than qualified to operate on the left-side of a back three for Wales this summer and did so in the final 30 minutes against West Brom. It seems Mauricio Pochettino is thinking along similar lines:

“You can see in the game that Ben Davies can play there,” said the Spurs coach. “I think we have plenty of players not to move in the market- we do not need another (defender).”

Meanwhile, Kevin Wimmer is a solid enough option. Many people will remember his bullet-headed own goal at the Emirates earlier in the season, less will recall that aside from that one catastrophic error, he actually had a steady afternoon in a relatively untested formation.

There’re choices, then, without having to blow unnecessary funds on second-rate defenders who’re struggling to get minutes at their current club. You don’t get a £1m net spend over five years by pulling the emergency cord every time someone gets injured.

Talking of folk not getting enough game time. Luke Shaw has been linked with a move to Spurs and a reuniting with former coach and mentor, Pochettino. The former Southampton left-back doesn’t seem to be impressing José Mourinho at Old Trafford. As I understand it, the Portuguese boss sees having a gruesome double leg break as a sign of weakness and wants him gone. Sounds reasonable enough to me.