Football news - Paper Round: Poch says Spurs won't buy for sake of it but Emery hints at business

On a night focused on Sports Personality of the Year we begin with quotes from Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has said that he would not want his club to sign a player for the sake of it. Spurs were the only Premier League side not to make a signing last summer but Poch has said that if the right player is not available then they won't make a transfer in January.

Paper Round's view: This doesn't sound too good but actually is perfectly logical. Sometimes it feels as if Spurs have just jumped into the transfer market under Daniel Levy and not really known what they were doing. Under Pochettino that approach has calmed slightly and given the close-knit nature of the squad it would be right not to make a signing who could potentially risk that just so there is one name in the incomings table.

We move to The Mail, who have a report that Everton are keen on West Ham's Reece Oxford. The talented young defender is keen for regular playing time and it doesn't appear as if he will get that under Manuel Pellegrini. If he is to leave he wants a permanent move rather than a loan and Everton are leading the chase for his signature. Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach, where Oxford has spent time on loan, are both credited with an interest. .

Paper Round's view: Do we all still remember Oxford on his debut against Arsenal? Seems amazing that was over three years ago. Oxford's development hasn't come along as the club would have liked and it is starting to seem as if a split might be best for both parties. It's a real shame but Oxford needs regular football.

We now have quotes from Arsenal manager Unai Emery, who has hinted that his team would be interested in signing a player if they could come in and make a difference. Emery's comments come after he confirmed that right-back Hector Bellerin would be out for a while with a calf injury, deepening the club's defensive crisis.

Paper Round's view: It's all well and good Emery saying that Arsenal will only sign if the player can make a difference but given the number of injuries, and the state of Laurent Koscielny on Sunday, it's not going to be too tricky to find a defender who can come in and make a difference. Arsenal finally solved their defensive midfield issue last summer: 2019 has to be the year where the issue at centre-back is resolved.

And we end with quotes from Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, who has warned his players about keeping their intensity up when they are leading games. His comments come after Chelsea took a 2-0 lead against Brighton on Sunday, only to see their opponents get a goal back and push them hard for a second. Sarri has said that his team must learn how to see out matches.

Paper Round's view: Sarri is absolutely correct, the way Chelsea switched off in the second half was remarkable. Of course a lot of credit should go to Brighton as well for the way they got back into the game but Chelsea let themselves down. It is certainly something for Sarri to look at in the coming weeks.