The affordable and realistic targets that Spurs need

Every club makes mistakes, some large ones too such as Juan Sebastian Veron, Andriy Shevchenko, and Jose Antonio Reyes just to name a few. As Spurs fans we’ve also seen some large transfers go wrong over the years. Names that spring to mind are Sergei Rebrov (£10m), Dean Richards (£8m) and more recently David Bentley (£15m).

These players had talent and were performing well enough for their respected clubs, but the problem was they were the wrong signings at the wrong time. Everton have proved that with the right scouting, teams can improve their squads without bankrupting the club.

Players such as Giuseppe Rossi, Loriente, or Karim Benzema won’t be interested in joining Spurs with no Champions League football on offer and they’ll be using us to generate interest from other clubs. With this in mind, it’s time we started to look at players who are within our reach. These players I’ve listed won’t be to everyone’s liking but in my opinion they’re the type of player we need to be targeting to improve our Squad.

Wayne Hennessey – (24/01/1987)

Probably not the first player you think of when lining up replacement shot stoppers, but considering goalkeepers peak in their late twenties I think Hennessey could turn out to be an excellent keeper. At 6ft 5inches he would be great claiming crosses into the box, and he’s exceptionally agile for a big man. Initially he could come in as an understudy to any of our current keepers, but long term he definitely has the potential to be a number one. The Welsh International made some great saves to keep Wolves up last season, but I think we could pick him up for around £7-10m (which isn’t much for a player who could give you ten years service).

Ben Foster – (03/04/83)

It’s usually the sign of a good professional that he’s not just happy to sit on a bench and pick up his wages. Foster trusted in his ability and moved to Birmingham from Manchester United. The England International is a great shot stopper who is definitely getting better with age. At 28 he still has a lot of time left in the game and I’m surprised Spurs didn’t follow up their initial interest a few years ago.

Foster is too good for the Championship and in my opinion is too good for Birmingham, on his day he is truly world class. My stand out memories of him are the Man of the Match performance in the 1-0 victory over Chelsea, when the Blues had over thirty strikes at the Birmingham goal and the Carling Cup victory over Spurs when he was exceptional and also saved one of the penalties. Foster could probably be purchased for about £8m.

Scott Dann – (14/02/1987)

Formed an excellent partnership with Roger Johnson until injury separated them and coincidentally, Birmingham’s form started to decline. Liverpool have expressed an interest, but have been put off by the £10m valuation. Should Birmingham fail to gain promotion Dann’s will certainly look to leave and you would assume that the valuation would decrease also.

As Spurs fans we’ve seen how well Dawson performs with a regular partner, so long term we need to find the answer to this problem. If Dann could be picked up for around £8m, he could be an option.

Phil Jagielka – (17/08/1982)

Yet another successful lower-league purchase for David Moyes, Jagielka has been a rock in Everton’s defence. Now capped by England and proven at a higher level, he would be a great acquisition for any top side. Everton are usually struggling for funds which makes Jagielka’s sale look all the more likely in the near future. I would purchase him ahead of Gary Cahill and he would cost a lot less too. I think a bid of around £10m would secure his sale. It remains to be seen if Spurs would spend this much on a player with little sell-on value though.

Mamadou Sakho – (13/02/1990)

A top quality centre half that can also cover at left back, currently playing for P.S.G, and already capped for France. Sakho has all the attributes required to be one of the world’s great defenders. Comparisons have been made with Lillian Thuram, which is testament to how highly he is regarded. Scouted already by the likes of Arsenal, he probably won’t be in France too much longer; he would be a great successor to Gallas or King, but would not come cheap. £15-20m would have to be offered to tempt P.S.G into selling their most prized asset.

Christian Eriksen – (14/02/1992)

While I don’t want Luka Modric to leave, I can’t think of a better replacement than this lad. The Danish international has everything needed to succeed at the highest level. Like so many technically gifted players before him, he has developed at Ajax and sooner or later he too will be brought by one of Europe’s bigger clubs.

As we did with Berbatov and Modric, I would love Spurs to snap him up before anyone else has the chance. I believe Eriksen has the ability to be another Wesley Sneider-type player. Anyone who doubts this should watch the England v Denmark game from February again. Eriksen was rightly named Man of the Match and absolutely ran the show. Spurs would have to pay up to £20m to tempt Ajax into selling.

Romelu Lukaku – (13/05/1993)

Linked with Chelsea and Arsenal recently, it certainly won’t be long until someone agrees a fee for the young Belgium international. Compared to Drogba due to his physical attributes, he certainly looks tailor made for the Premier League. I’m unsure if a move to Spurs would interest him, but with the offer of guaranteed first team football you never know.

He was the top scorer in Belgium 2009-2010, so the lad would certainly be a welcome addition at the Lane. If Lukaku could be tempted to join he would command a fee of around £15m. After missing out on Connor Wickham, I would like to see Spurs try for this lad.

Daniel Sturridge – (01/09/1989)

The way in which Chelsea have conducted themselves regarding the Luka Modric bids makes me resentful to deal with them and I’m certain Daniel Levy we feel even stronger about this. Business is business though and last year Sturridge looked a class act whilst on loan at Bolton.

Youth, speed, determination and confidence are four qualities our current crop of strikers all lack. The fact that Chelsea don’t look to be selling any of their older forwards means that Sturridge may be available for the right money. Maybe the offer of a buy-back clause could tempt Chelsea to cash in for around £15m.

I haven’t listed many midfielders as we have far too many at the club already, but for the right money Alex Chamberlain at Southampton is certainly worth watching closely. Walcott and Bale are great athletes and this lad looks to following in their footsteps.