Some breaking news to come, don't go to bed on Groundhog Day

Today is not only Transfer Deadline Day, but also Groundhog Day. As a result, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) wakes up to his radio alarm-clock playing “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher at 6 a.m. He turns on Sky Sports News to find that Spurs are linked with numerous deals for players, as well as their current ones linked with exits.

Come 11pm, he discovers that none of these proposed deals have gone through – leaving him underwhelmed and empty. He decides to call it a night, just as Jim White and Natalie Sawyer announce the breaking news that Harry Redknapp has signed Niko Kranjcar for the nineteenth time.

Connors goes to sleep, only to wake up a year later to relive the same day, and the same events over again. This process is repeated year-after-year, while the only thing that keeps Connors going - what fills him with hope - is that one day, at around 10:59pm, Jim White will announce that Spurs have signed striker Leandro Damiao for a world record fee...

History repeats itself – why the surprise?

Although my Spursy take on Groundhog Day is far from Oscar-worthy, it can be seen to hold substance in relation to THFC. This is because year-after-year, a high percentage of Spurs fans get caught in the rut that if we don’t sign X amount of players, or sell X amount of players, the window is, ultimately, an unsuccessful one.

Whatever your view of this winter window actually is, the dip of Spurs’ involvement in January dealings may as well culminate in Sky Sports not sending any cameras over to Hotspur Way, come January Transfer Deadline Day 2016.

In this window alone, we have been linked with; Kevin Mirallas, Memphis Depay, Seydou Doumbia, Danny Ings and Yevhen Konoplyanka – to name a few. Whilst of our own; Vlad Chiriches, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado, Etienne Capoue and Younes Kaboul have all been linked with a move away.

Can we actually play the fool that none of these deals have gone through as we’d expected? If you analyse our past, it’s a definite no. But still, that will not prevent Levy, Lewis, Baldini, Mitchell and Pochettino himself from escaping the fan’s firing line, who will cry words of ‘missed opportunity!’

Poch and co are attempting to break the time loop!

Despite our lack of business as press-reports had suggested there would be, there is a speck of evidence to suggest that we are now approaching these windows in a calm and sensible manner. After blowing the entirety of the money received for Gareth Bale, we are still, to no surprise, suffering from the hangover of summer 2013.

You can simply call it - righting our past wrongs, but the way I see it is that Pochettino’s rebuilding job takes place not only on the field, but also in the transfer market. In this window we have already offloaded Kyle Naughton, Aaron Lennon (on loan), while there has been concrete attempts to gut the squad of the so-called ‘bad apple trio’ of Kaboul, Capoue and Adebayor.

In addition to these deals, Benoit Assou-Ekotto is FINALLY off our wage bill, while we have looked to have secured a deal for talented-youngster Dele Alli. Hardly a marquee signing, but Alli has potential and reflects Pochettino’s emphasis of putting his faith in youth who will end up being the future of our football club.

If you can’t see the success in that, then you are forever the pessimist! But, I know that many will still need convincing...

So what does tomorrow bring?

Somewhere, there is a bitter irony that today’s transfer deadline day falls on the same day as Groundhog Day. Flawed reports and over-hyped stories drip-feed us false hope that this window will have been any different from the last one – but alas, we are still left disappointed.

However, I hold an element of hope that this window has been approached with the best intentions. Rather than wake up dejected, I urge Spurs fans to consider that this month has been a success – both on-and-off the football field!

With Harry Kane and Ryan Mason signing new deals and Nabil Bentaleb on his way back to England, maybe we too, like Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, can appreciate what’s there in front of us, in order for us to move forward into a bright, successful future.

West Ham chairman, David Gold, had said - "Don't go to bed," as his side hoped to conclude a loan deal for Emmanuel Adebayor. So by seconding Mr.Gold's comments, I add - don't go to bed on this Groundhog Day (Transfer Deadline Day) Spurs fans, if you're expecting to wake up to a different outcome.

 

Great article - some very good points.

I can't lie, I thought we could do with maybe one attacking signing to help us over the closing months of the season and would loved to have moved on one or two more (Ade, Younes - I'm looking at you) but the Jan window is never easy and there are certainly a lot of positives to the last four weeks.

I think we'll be in for a busy summer as Poch looks to reshape the squad in his image. Hopefully we'll manage to scrape top four or win the Europa in the meantime, as CL football would make his job a hell of a lot easier...

P.S. Dele Alli is a great signing! Hopefully he'll continue to impress this season and we'll see him playing in Spurs colours next season. Ideally alongside the likes of Schneiderlin and Depay!

 

So we didnt really strengthen at all anywhere, we are 1 or 2 injuries away from total capitulation, and we still have a large number of wage thieves in the side who are more of a hindrance than help.