A look at five players who could strengthen the White Hart Lane side this season.
Leighton Baines (Everton)
A well-publicised long-term target for Manchester United, it is now thought that Tottenham could take their own search for a new left-back to Everton’s Leighton Baines. The England international is certainly one of the best in Europe in his position at the moment and would be a great addition to Andre Villas-Boas’ side, especially if they can land him at the expense of one of their rivals.
Spurs were keen on the likes of Alvaro Pereira and Fabio Coentrao during the summer, and have also been linked with a January move for Domenico Criscito, but Baines’ attacking ability and quality from set-piece situations would surely make him the best option at the moment. With Gareth Bale gone, Baines could provide some of that same magic with his left foot, as he is surely one of the best free-kick takers in the Premier League. Of course, he is also a very capable defender and his experience could put him ahead of current first-choice Danny Rose.
With United also interested, Baines would no doubt be an expensive purchase, but it would make another great show of Spurs’ ambition in the transfer market, fitting in nicely alongside their excellent summer signings.
Tom Ince (Blackpool)
One of the finest young talents in the country at the moment, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Blackpool winger Tom Ince made his way to the Premier League this January, and Tottenham look to be leading the race for his signature at the moment, though the likes of Newcastle, Everton and Aston Villa all also remain interested, as well as the likes of Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan from Serie A.
Although Spurs already have plenty of great attacking options, they won’t want to miss out on this top talent especially at a bargain price of just £4m, and at just 21 years of age there is still a lot of time for Ince to work his way into the team and develop into a top class player. Clearly too good to be playing in the Championship, Ince could do with a new challenge elsewhere, and may fancy his chances of breaking into the team ahead of the likes of Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend, who are both rather inconsistent for Villas-Boas’ side.
With Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen the same age as Ince, this one final addition to the Spurs attack could provide them with one of the deadliest looking front-lines in world football for many years to come.
Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg)
One of Tottenham’s many summer transfer targets, Andre Villas-Boas could look to revive a move for Zenit St Petersburg forward Hulk this January. The Portuguese coach knows the powerful Brazilian attacker well from their highly successful time together at Porto. It was under AVB’s guidance that Hulk first started to establish himself as a world class talent, and the 27-year-old may be keen to be reunited with his former boss at White Hart Lane.
Having arrived at Zenit for a massive £50m, it will certainly take something special from Spurs to persuade the Russian giants to sell one of their star players, and it was even rumoured in the summer that it would take a £10m fee just to land him on loan, so this one may be slightly out of Spurs’ financial reach, though given how much they spent in the summer you can’t exactly rule them out.
Hulk is certainly a player who would command a starting place in Spurs’ attack, capable of playing out wide or upfront to good effect, with his rocket of a left foot and great strength and build making him look an ideal Premier League player. It would be exciting to see such a talent in English football, and Spurs would do well to make it happen this January.
Leandro Damiao (Internacional)
With Tottenham still a little light upfront, it would be no surprise if Andre Villas-Boas tried again for one of his top summer targets, Brazil striker Leandro Damiao, currently of Internacional. Spurs had been keen to bring in more than one striker during pre-season, though he only succeeded in signing Roberto Soldado from Valencia. With Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor continuing to prove unimpressive in attack for the north London side, Damiao could certainly provide a significant upgrade on the pairing, as well as giving Villas-Boas a decent alternative to Soldado as he continues to settle in English football.
The highly prolific Brazilian has an impressive record of 85 goals in 165 appearances for Internacional, as well as three goals in fifteen caps for the Brazilian national side. The 24-year-old certainly looks like a top talent who could improve vastly if playing in a top side, and he would no doubt do some serious damage with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela providing him with ammunition upfront for Spurs.
One or both of Defoe and Adebayor might need to leave the club first to free up space on the wage bill, but Damiao would certainly be a useful arrival for Spurs if they pursue him again this January.
Fernando Llorente (Juventus)
Another option upfront for Tottenham could be Juventus misfit Fernando Llorente. The talented Spanish front-man only joined the Italian giants from Athletic Bilbao this summer, but his future is already under some doubt as he has failed to establish himself as a guaranteed starter for Antonio Conte’s side, who also boast top strikers such as Carlos Tevez, Mirko Vucinic and Fabio Quagliarella in their ranks.
Llorente is still a very good player though, and would no doubt be an upgrade on Defoe and Adebayor for Spurs, as well as potentially forming a fine partnership with fellow Spaniard Roberto Soldado. Both will be desperate to impress this season as well, as they seek a starting spot for Spain at next summer’s World Cup, though the fact that Llorente would not necessarily be first choice at Tottenham either may see him opt instead for the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, who have also been linked with him.
Spurs should do their best to make this happen though, as on his day Llorente is a very complete forward capable of doing damage from a variety of angles and positions, more so than goal-poachers Soldado and Defoe.