Mauricio Pochettino, Jack Grealish Comment on Tottenham Transfer Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino and Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish have cooled speculation linking the player with a possible January move to Spurs.

Grealish was noted as a possible target for Tottenham throughout the summer, but he ended up staying at his boyhood club and Spurs didn't make any additions to their first-team squad.

Pochettino was asked about the chances of the club making another move for the Championship star, but he appeared coy on the prospect of a possible switch, per Alasdair Gold of Football.London:

"Look, I think there were plenty of players linked with Tottenham, not only last summer but in the previous season. You know it's difficult to talk about rumours, about names. We'll see what happens in January. We have a full squad, we have 28 in the squad. It's impossible to sign players if we don't have the space."

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Pochettino added that as things stand, the team doesn't have enough space to include the likes of Juan Foyth, Georges-Kevin N'Koudou and Vincent Janssen in their UEFA Champions League squad.

Grealish was also asked about the incessant speculation linking him with a move to the London giants ahead of the campaign and said he shook off the transfer talk from the summer quickly, per Sky Sports.

"The speculation was difficult to deal with because every young player wants to play at the top, especially when it's a team in the Champions League," he said. "But when it didn't happen, it didn't bother me at all, because my dream as a kid was to play for Aston Villa, and I would never ever take that for granted."

After a slow beginning to the season for the team and on an individual basis, Grealish has started to find form again under new Villa boss Dean Smith.

HLTCO was impressed with the way the youngster excelled in the recent derby match with Birmingham City:

At times, the 23-year-old does appear a cut above the Championship, and he was crucial to Villa making it to the final of the play-offs last season, only to see the team lose to Fulham.

His class in possession shines through, as he can dribble past challenges and feed opponents who are in dangerous positions with delicate passes.

Often, defenders have no issue taking their frustration out on the playmaker:

There are still areas in Grealish's game that he needs to refine, and if he was to work under a reputable coach like Pochettino, he would surely make strides. 

But with the likes of Heung-Min Son, Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela battling for similar spots in the XI, minutes in the first team might be tough to come by.

Plus, Grealish only agreed a new five-year deal with Villa in September, and he appears intent on getting the team back in the top flight. With that in mind, a January deal feels like it may well be beyond Spurs.