January Transfer Window: A recap of Tottenham Hotspur's winter business | Premier League 2019-20

Con: Kyle Walker-Peters’ loan to Southampton

Kyle Walker-Peters has moved to Southampton on loan

A move that flew under the radar somewhat was the loan deal that will take young full-back Kyle Walker-Peters to Southampton for the rest of the season. It’s hard to work out what to make of this move because there are pros and cons for it on either side, but I think losing him – even temporarily – will do more harm than good for Spurs in 2019-20.

Firstly, while it’s true that Walker-Peters is somewhat unproven at Premier League level – making just 12 league appearances thus far in his career – he hasn’t actually performed badly at all when he has played, memorably registering a trio of assists in a 5-0 win over Bournemouth in 2018-19, and only slipped out of the first team this season due to injury.

And secondly, while the versatile Japhet Tanganga can play at right-back, without Walker-Peters, the only specialist Spurs have in the position is the erratic Serge Aurier. If the Ivorian loses form entirely, or picks up an injury, it may be hard to cover him – especially as Davinson Sanchez and Moussa Sissoko both struggled in the position earlier in the season.

Overall the move will be good for Walker-Peters to gain experience, and it’s not like Spurs have lost him altogether, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling that he could’ve been useful to Mourinho.

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Pro: Lo Celso signs permanently

Giovani Lo Celso has hit form as of late

When Spurs signed Giovani Lo Celso in the summer, the Argentine arrived on an odd loan deal from Real Betis; Tottenham would pay a small loan fee initially, with an option to buy the player in January for £27m, or wait until the summer and sign him for £34m, with the move becoming an obligation if the club were to qualify for the Champions League.

Initially, Lo Celso made little impact in the Spurs first team, but this was largely through no fault of his own; the Argentine took time to settle in and then picked up an injury which waylaid him, but since he broke into Mourinho’s plans in December, he’s arguably been the club’s best player.

Lo Celso appears to be far more than a luxury playmaker – he has the passing range and creativity to make him a valid replacement for Eriksen, but he’s also much more of a Mourinho midfielder, willing to charge back and throw himself into tackles in the defensive third.

At just 23 years old there’s still room for him to grow, and his burgeoning midfield partnership with Harry Winks could definitely be something worth watching. Overall, it was a must that Spurs inked him permanently, and doing so in January made perfect sense.