Tottenham supporters saw one chance of a trip to Wembley evaporate at the weekend with a surprise home defeat to Leicester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s side can cheer the supporters up by ensuring they hang onto their 1-0 first leg lead when they travel to Bramall Lane tomorrow night for the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final against Sheffield United.
Whilst silverware in Pochettino’s first season would be quite an achievement, at the risk of sounding like Arsene Wenger, the top four should be considered the priority for Tottenham and they are definitely in with a good shout.
An excellent Christmas period and the goalscoring form of Harry Kane has seen Spurs sneak to within three points of the top four.
But Tottenham’s squad is not as deep as the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and even Liverpool behind them in eighth place whilst Southampton are showing no signs of halting their pursuit.
Pochettino could certainly do with a couple of new additions before the close of the deadline. Here we have identified five targets who could yet make a last minute switch.
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Click on Mauricio Pochettino to reveal the 5 ‘last minute’ Tottenham raids to help seal a top four place.
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Yevhen Konoplyanka
The Ukraine international was heavily linked with a move to both Tottenham and Liverpool last January.
The Reds have since strengthened with the signing of Lazar Markovic which leaves the door open for Spurs to try and lure the Dnipro winger to White Hart Lane.
His current contractual situation means he could be signed for a cut-price £8 million which would represent excellent value for a player of his skill.
Memphis Depay
The PSV Eindhoven winger has been linked with both Tottenham and Manchester United since announcing himself by becoming Holland’s youngest ever World Cup goalscorer in the summer.
PSV are desperate to keep a hold of the 20-year-old but realise £15 million will be a difficult sum to turn down.
Reports have continued to link Spurs with a move this month, for a player who can provide genuine pace from either flank as well as an eye for goal, as he proved in Brazil over last summer.
Winston Reid
The West Ham United defender has been consistently linked with North London rivals Arsenal but their imminent capture of Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista has seen Tottenham come into the picture.
Reid has been an integral part of the West Ham side that is currently challenging for the top four under Sam Allardyce but his contract at Upton Park expires in the summer.
He is looking for a move to a club in the Champions League, however Tottenham may prove to be the next best option for him this month given Arsenal’s recent business.
Danny Ings
The Burnley striker caught the attention of Tottenham when he was scoring goals for fun in the Championship and after a slow start, he seems to be on the verge of doing the same in the Premier League.
Ings has fired seven goals this season to help Burnley in their fight for survival, some of which have been superb finishes.
Reports suggest Tottenham are stepping up their interest before the close of the window and whilst Burnley will be desperate to keep a hold of their star man, Ings himself may feel he has earned the chance of a big move.
Christian Benteke
The Aston Villa man is another who has been on Tottenham’s radar for some time.
Whilst Paul Lambert insists there is no chance of the Belgian being sold before the close of the transfer window, the problems at Villa Park and the way in which owner Randy Lerner is under pressure to finance some new signings, a big money offer for Benteke may prove difficult to turn down – especially as he hasn’t shown the consistent goal-scoring form of his first season in almost two years.
This may prove to be a deal that actually suits all parties well but would depend on whether Villa could finance a replacement before 11pm next Monday.
