No January arrivals for AVB

23 December 2012 13:18
Andre Villas-Boas insists he still has no plans to enter the transfer market next month despite seeing his team fail to break down Stoke. Tottenham could have moved third in the table on Saturday with a win over the Potters, but they had to settle for a 0-0 draw thanks to a frustrating rearguard action from the visitors. Despite having fit-again Gareth Bale back in the side, Villas-Boas' team rarely threatened the away goal, and Asmir Begovic's only important save came in injury time when substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson tested him with a close-range header. Villas-Boas said earlier this week that there was only a slim chance that he would make new additions to his squad in the January window, and he now appears to have ruled out signing anybody despite yesterday's stalemate. Although he has been linked with the likes of Joao Moutinho, Loic Remy and Willian, the Spurs boss says the options he has in reserve are good enough to see his team through the rest of the season. "I don't think we need to do anything," said the Portuguese, who was missing Clint Dempsey yesterday due to a groin injury. "We have Clint out. He is a massive player for us. He has had a big impact. He scored 17 goals last season so we have to count on him. "He plays striker, plays wings and plays through the middle so he gives us that option. "(Andros) Townsend the other day had a good game. Today we had opted for Sigurdsson coming in but I think we have options." Villas-Boas is keen to offload some of his fringe players next month, with Carlo Cudicini, Heurelho Gomes, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Danny Rose all potentially heading for the exit. Another player who may be on the move is Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel. The 41-year-old, who has been displaced by Hugo Lloris as Spurs' number one in recent weeks, has been linked with a return to former club Blackburn. He tweeted this afternoon: "I know there has been quite a but of speculation regarding my future. All will be revealed in next couple of days:). Happy Holidays!!!" Lloris has a relatively easy afternoon, with Stoke rarely threatening the home goal. Tottenham threw everything at the visitors in the final stages, but Stoke lived up to their billing as one of the best defences around by shutting out Bale, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe. "Stoke have one of the best defences in Europe and they are very well organised. They don't make it easy for anyone," Villas-Boas said. "We gave them a run for their money and our players tried very hard. "Sometimes you try everything and the ball doesn't go in the back of the net. We had a go and I'm very pleased with the players."

Source: team_talk