Spurs are looking ahead to the summer with their eyes firmly focused on bringing in new players to improve the squad which got to the Champions League final this year.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino seems like a man reborn given his passion over the course of the European campaign for Spurs, and it's looking ever more likely he is going to stay put and try and finally bring a trophy to the club after over a decade without success.

Pochettino has an exciting young squad to work with, but even he will be aware that he needs new additions in certain positions, not least at right back, where Kieran Trippier has by his own admission had a poor season compared to his own high standards.

That's why we here at the Tavern feel that the current rumour linking the club with a move for Japanese star Hiroki Sakai is the perfect bit of news for Spurs fans looking to see the club improve the playing personnel.

The 29-year-old right back has been in fine form for Marseille this summer, and is defensively sound, as demonstrated by the his stats which put him making over two tackles and clearances per game for the French club. He made nine more interceptions than Trippier this past season and blocked three more shots, as well as making zero, yes zero, defensive errors leading to a goal (as per Squawka Comparison Matrix).

Trippier made two defensive errors which directly led to goals last season, and while that might not seem too much on paper, at the top level it can be the difference between being successful and not.

In Sakai, Spurs would be getting a player who may be desperate to prove himself in the English game as he enters the prime years of his career. It's clear that Spurs need an upgrade down the right hand side, and the 29-year-old might just prove the ideal signing for the club.