Tottenham: Bayern to pursue midfield star this summer; Winks’ title warning

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It has been something of a quiet January at White Hart Lane. Throughout a month of no incomings, speculation surrounding moves for several Spurs stars never really got off the ground, and the only departure of note was that of midfielder Tom Carroll who packed his bags for Swansea City. That hasn’t, however, deterred talk of bigger clubs coming circling over the summer in a bid to entice some of Spurs’ key players away from North London, and according to The Times, German champions Bayern Munich are the latest European giants to be linked with a summer move for the club’s England international midfielder, Dele Alli.

Alli, 20, has built on last season’s maiden Premier League campaign with 11 goals in 22 outings this term, and the reckoning at the Times is that his exploits in an impressive second season with Spurs may be enough to tempt the Bundesliga heavyweights into an approach for the youngster.

The former Milton Keynes Dons man signed an improved six-year contract back in September, so it would take a monumental bid for the Bavarians to prise Alli away from White Hart Lane, with chairman Daniel Levy thought to demand a fee surpassing that of the £85million Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale back in 2013, if he is to sanction any sale.

Despite the financial punch of the five-time European champions, even a summer bid would be audacious, with the article claiming that Levy is not wanting to sell any of the club’s key players until they have spent at least a full season in their new state-of-the-art stadium, which is set to be ready for the 2018/19 campaign. Time will tell if the approach comes after this season, but even if Bayern or any other of Europe’s elite come calling, any high-profile departures from the club seem unlikely.

The North Londoners are without doubt in the midst of a long-term project of expansion and in pursuit of silverware, but despite the nine-point gap this season between themselves and Premier League leaders Chelsea, it seems that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are not prepared to concede the title just yet, after midfielder Harry Winks fired a warning to Antonio Conte’s men that Spurs haven’t yet given up the chase.

The Spurs youngster, who has broken into the first-team reckoning under Pochettino this season, told the Daily Star that it is possible for Spurs to haul back the deficit and regain a foothold in this year’s title race.

Winks did however, stress the importance of Tottenham keeping concentration firmly on their own games, rather than worry about their rivals’ results.

“Of course it’s possible, but we need to focus on ourselves and not Chelsea. We can’t affect how their results go”, he said.

“All we can do is focus on our own results and win every game. Hopefully that will be enough to win the league.”

Spurs suffered a setback in their title ambitions after they dropped points for the second Premier League match in succession at Sunderland in a goal-less draw during the week, having fought back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point at Manchester City a fortnight earlier. They will now look to get back on track at home against a struggling Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The week’s round of Premier League fixtures was a bizarre one as it clashed with Transfer Deadline Day, but Winks remains adamant that the team’s focus was solely on the game, and that their lack of activity in the window reflected that.

“To be honest, our focus was on the game and nothing else. The transfer window was irrelevant to us.

“Ultimately we came away with a point which is better than a defeat, but we want to win every game regardless of the opposition.”

With Chelsea also dropping points at Liverpool in their match, it meant that Pochettino’s men avoided losing additional ground on the league leaders, but having already played the leaders twice, if they are to be realistic contenders for the Premier League title, every remaining fixture is surely a must-win. With Middlesbrough up next at the Lane, they have the opportunity to get back to winning ways, but to be champions they must re-discover their ruthless streak. The chance is on the table, now it us up to them to seize it.

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