As we approach transfer deadline day on the earlier date of August 9, it finally seems Spurs might be able to step up their attempts to sign key targets, one of those being Jack Grealish.

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It has emerged via the Telegraph that Grealish is keen on making a move to Tottenham happen before the deadline, in favour of transfers to South London to either Fulham or Crystal Palace. The prospect of working with Mauricio Pochettino and Champions League football are the reasons for his preference it is understood.

It is all very well the player being keen on a move to Spurs, but will Grealish be a success at Tottenham is he makes a switch rumoured to be worth upwards of £30m?

If you sat down with Jack Grealish and asked him about the season just gone (after asking him why he wears his socks round his ankles), I am sure he would say it was below his best and that he is capable of much more. Out until November with kidney problems, the Villa man made 27 Championship appearances, yielding pretty average results, three goals and five assists. Does that scream at you, ‘we need to pay upwards of £30m for this man, he is ready for the step up of playing for a top four club’? It doesn’t to me.

However, there are other aspects of the proposed transfer to look at before writing Grealish off due to his sub-par statistics from last season. First of all, he is only 22 years of age, nowhere near reaching his peak. There is a lot still to learn and a lot to be improved upon. With guidance from Mauricio Pochettino, Grealish could become a top drawer attacking midfielder.

Despite scoring just three times and providing five assists last season, the Englishman is more than capable of coming up with a little bit of magic when needed. Take his strike with five minutes to go against Cardiff in April for example to win the game.

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You will often see Grealish get a little frustrated on the pitch and his head may drop for periods. It only takes a good coach to turn this anger and frustration into passion and hunger for success. Mauricio Pochettino could be the man to do that.

In summary, spending upwards of £30m on an attacking midfielder that had an average season in the Championship in a team that failed to win promotion seems like a huge gamble. And it is. However, with the potential this youngster has, it could prove to be money well spent if Daniel Levy can land his signature for the right price.

Mauricio Pochettino signed a new contract earlier this year, and whilst Tottenham will never be able to compete with the top clubs financially, they do need to take an opportunity when it arises, and Anthony Martial wanting to leave Manchester United in exactly that, an opportunity – one that cannot be missed.

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It has been a long time since Martial indicated he wanted out, and no clubs appear to have made a serious move for the player as of yet.

Martial has been one of many victims of Jose Mourinho’s negative football tactics, but the potential is there for all to see. Should he come to play for a manager like Pochettino I feel we would really see one of the best young talents in Europe thrive again.

It’s easy to forget that the former Monaco man is aged just 22. There’s a huge amount of unearthed talent there and he has all the right ingredients to develop into a top player.

Harry Kane is, of course, a top player and getting him to sign an extension will be, without doubt, the best deal of the summer, but Tottenham cannot stop there. Too long, this club has been ‘close’ to winning major trophies, and as well as keeping our main stars, we need to add some top quality to the starting eleven to take us to the next level.

Martial may not do that immediately, but we do not have the budget to sign players, in their prime at the level we need to improve our eleven, instead, we must target players like Martial, who in the right system and coached properly would take the team to the next level and double their value.

Of course, re-signing Gareth Bale would be a dream, but Martial is the realistic alternative. As good as Kane is in attack, there is not enough quality in wide areas to support him.

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If you look at Liverpool and Manchester City last season, much of their success can be attributed to the attacking performances of their wide players, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane – we don’t have a player in that mould currently and Martial could be the next to emerge.

For anything less than £60million, Martial is worth the investment and Tottenham should not hesitate in making their move.

1) Jan Vertonghen

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Tottenham’s reputation of cashing in on top players at the club is a reputation that has not died with successive top four finishes in the eyes of some. However, I believe the club is past this stage.

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Take the sale of Kyle Walker last summer. Some fans were serious when the news broke that the Yorkshireman had been sold to this season’s champions for a hefty £50m. ‘Same old Levy’ and ‘same old Tottenham’ were some of the cries as we watched another top-class player leave North London.

Unfair criticism it turned out to be in my view. Although Kyle Walker wanted to leave Tottenham, according to the Independent, his mind was made up as a result of an ongoing dispute with manager Mauricio Pochettino over fitness. As mentioned in that Independent article, Pochettino doubted Walker’s ability to play two games in one week, something the right-back disagreed with strongly at the time.

The decision to sell the player seemed to be best for both parties. Spurs got their £50m and Walker got to start a fresh with a different manager that maybe doesn’t doubt his fitness in the way Pochettino did. Although it can be viewed as a mistake selling to a direct rival and strengthening their team, the decision seemed to be the correct one to sell Walker. The situation is similar with Toby Alderweireld.

Tottenham had been keen to tie Alderweireld down to a new deal before the end of last season, but negotiations have been in deadlock for some time now. If the player was that keen to sign, he surely would have done so by now.

It has been a frustrating season for the Belgian defender. Not only has he had a couple of fairly lengthy spells out of action due to injury, but he has also seen himself kept out of the team by the solid and effective centre-back partnership of Jan Vertonghen and newcomer Davinson Sanchez. Due to the contract stalemate? Or due to the stellar performances of the pair mentioned before? This is an issue up for debate.

Nonetheless, without Alderweireld, the defensive unit has performed efficiently and effectively over this season, is the Belgian still the integral part of the defence as he once was? Or have we evolved as a team? If the answer to the latter is yes, £50m would be a healthy sum to sell to Manchester United for. However, we are left with the issue of strengthening a direct rival. This is something that needs to be considered carefully by the coaching staff at Spurs, but why not cash in on a player that doesn’t want to commit his long-term future to the club?

With Toby Alderweireld seemingly on his way out of Tottenham and Manchester United allegedly in talks, Mauricio Pochettino should look to get a player or two involved in the deal. There’s a wealth of talent at United that Mourinho is not currently utilising, and several of these players I feel could thrive under Pochettino. Here’s 3 I think we should try to involve in negotiations.

1 – Anthony Martial

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Martial is an incredible player but he clearly cannot thrive under Mourinho, who is stunting his talent growth. The youngster ends up playing as a left wing back at times for United when he should be playing in an advanced wide left position or even through the middle.

In an attack in combination with the likes of Kane and Alli, with Pochettino’s forward-thinking philosophy, Martial could have the platform to realise his huge potential. Considering his current situation I think this move could certainly appeal to Anthony.

Tottenham have had an OK season so far. Although they sit outside the top four, the clubs improved European performance so far must be appreciated, and there’s still a chance they could finish in the top two of the Premier League, though the league title seems out of sight for everyone but Manchester City at the minute. In this article, we take a look at four players being strongly linked with a move to the club this month…

1 – Malcolm

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Tottenham are said to be seriously interested in signing Bordeaux’s Brazilian striker Malcolm. Although reports that a £31million bid was rejected are said to be wide of the mark, Spurs’ interest is genuine, say Sky Sports.

Malcolm has scored 7 goals and assisted 4 in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season. He’s a versatile attacker that would certainly add a much needed new dimension to Tottenham’s attack. His versatility means he could play alongside Kane and Alli or in place of them.

Kane has been in fine scoring form and he could be among Real Madrid players. Find out the qualities that make him a right fit and what critics have to say…

Kane, the Tottenham player has been on a rampage for the last couple of seasons. He has been able to grow as a striker while he puts up great stats as a striker in terms of scoring. He is a scoring machine and has been thought as a killer player when it comes to scoring. However, in the recent past, he has been slated to join Real Madrid football club. Real Madrid is known to poach the best players from the premier league. As an elite player in the premier league, Kane fits that profile well.

However, he does not possess high club level experience as the likes of Ronaldo, Bale and Owen when they joined Real Madrid. Even with that, there are a few things that make him perfect for Real Madrid to sign him as one of their best players.

He is at the right age

He is only 24, and it is at this age that Owen, Ronaldo, and Bale were signed by Real Madrid as players. Real Madrid ratings show that this is the right age for a move if Real Madrid are to sign him. Get the best horse racing odds today from the upcoming races. Find free tips and strategies to improve your odds of winning.

He is worth £200 million

If Tottenham were to part with their star player, Kane, they would have to ask Real Madrid for more than £200 million for their top player. He is definitely worth the huge buyout as he has one of the best player scoring records in the premier league. At the penalty area, he is able to relax and score comfortably which makes him a great scoring talent and can fit well among Real Madrid players.

Kane could rival Benzema

Benzema is a great Real Madrid player. However, he cannot be considered as one of the best strikers they have despite his great scoring stats for the club. It is with this that Kane could be the one to replace him, if Real Madrid were to buy Kane. See all the latest horse betting tips and use them in multiple major markets around the globe. Get genuine horse race previews to increase your chances of getting the correct outcome.

Real Madrid are in denial

The Real Madrid president publicly denied ever having any interest in the Tottenham Spurs player. This might have been wise for him as it can hurt his players if he decided to show interest in another player from another club. It is the wrong time to start showing interest in other players in the middle of the club competitions and Champions league. He needs his players to remain true to the club and by showing interest in other players, it could jeopardize how well they play.

Kane might be ready to move to Real Madrid

While he was in Spain facing real Madrid in the Champions league, he gave clue that he would love to play abroad. It would be a perfect add-on to the Real Madrid players as he has a killer instinct when it comes to finding his way to the back of the net. However, he also mentioned that he would love to be a one-club man which rings even more confusion.

Tottenham have started the season fairly well, especially when you consider their much improved performance in the Champions League this season, with it now looking extremely likely that the club will get out of a very tough group. But how can Tottenham really reach new heights? For me they need to add World Class players. In this article I take a look at 4 players that could arrive.

1 – Gareth Bale

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So Bale could really return to Tottenham. As much as Bale may like Spurs as a club, he is extremely unlikely to take a huge pay cut to come back, considering the offers he is likely to have on his plate and the fact that aged 28, his next contract is likely to be his last major deal. I’d think Spurs would need to offer in excess of £200,000 per week for Bale to even tempt him. It goes without saying that Spurs should do everything to make this happen as signing him would really take the club to the next level.

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Can it really happen? The press might have you believe that Bale has said he will sign for Tottenham tomorrow, but let’s take a realistic look at the news.

However, there are some concrete rumours emerging from Spain that Madrid have lost patience with Bale’s recent injury woes and they are willing to offload him in the summer. Whilst Manchester United and probably every English club would be keen to sign Bale, Tottenham are the club he would like to sign for, if he does leave Madrid, according to the latest reports. But is this realistic?

The obvious problem arrives at the wages of Bale, whom is earning around three times as much as Tottenham’s current top earner. As much as Bale may like Spurs as a club, he is extremely unlikely to take a huge pay cut to come back, considering the offers he is likely to have on his plate and the fact that aged 28, his next contract is likely to be his last major deal. I’d think Spurs would need to offer in excess of £200,000 per week for Bale to even tempt him. The reality is that for all the brilliant management of Pochettino and the quality that Tottenham do already have, to move to the next level, Spurs need to invest into the team and to go to the next level they need to bring in some established World Class players, who better than Bale for this? He’s certainly worth a wage re-structure in my opinion.

In a world where money is overtaking football, Spurs need to start to take steps to ensure they are not left behind and signing Bale would be some statement to the world that Tottenham are here to stay amongst the best clubs in Europe – this is not a phase. Can we pull it off though? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one in the comments.

Spurs signed Fernando Llorente on transfer deadline day, the club leaving it until after the 11pm deadline to announce the capture of the Spaniard on their official Twitter account. Nonetheless, the striker joins Spurs for around £12m from Swansea City with a good goalscoring record.

Llorente was a key figure at the Liberty Stadium last season and played a huge role in keeping the Swans in the Premier League after a battle at the wrong end of the table. The striker managed an impressive 15 goals last term, and won the Welsh club fifteen points all on his own. A man who can step up and make the difference when it matters.

It is highly unlikely that Llorente will slot straight in as first choice striker at Spurs and will probably look to take some of the weight off the shoulders of Harry Kane, who has endured a difficult start to the season, failing to find the net in his opening three games.

Vincent Janssen was brought in from AZ Alkmaar last summer for £17m and has failed to live up to his billing in his time at Spurs. The Dutchman netted six times in his debut season, just two of those coming from open play. With the arrival of Llorente, Janssen may see a huge chunk of his already limited first team opportunities disappear.

Not only does Llorente provide good backup for Harry Kane, he also gives Tottenham a different option up front, the opportunity to play with a target man, an option that Spurs have not had for a long while. His heading ability has been there for all to see at Swansea, and let’s hope Spurs’ playmakers recognise this and utilise it when he is on the pitch. Here is how Spurs fans reacted to the signing of Llorente on Twitter.

Welcome to @SpursOfficial @llorentefer19! About 5 years late but better late than never! #COYS!!

— Houston Spurs (@HoustonSpurs) 31 August 2017

You keot that quiet 😂Glad he’s with us as gives us different option up front #COYS #WelcomeFernando

— Matt French (@MattyFrench82) 31 August 2017

Stoked about this signing. #WelcomeFernando

— Derrell Bradford (@Dyrnwyn) 31 August 2017

Excited about having an aerial threat like Llorente at Spurs #THFC #COYS

— John Harrison (@Purfleetjohn) 1 September 2017

Many claim fee paid for Llorente was record for 32 year old? So what, if he scores goals & takes weight off Kane for 2-3 years. #COYS #THFC

— Alf Love (@alf_love47) 1 September 2017

Wasn’t sold on the #Llorente transfer but listening to his interview has really changed my opinion. Great attitude 👌🏻 #thfc #coys

— Ant Weight (@Weightinho) 1 September 2017

Llorente is our first genuine target man I can remember us having and I bet we still won’t beat the first man from corners 🙄😂 #COYS

— Sam Dorrell (@SamTHFC_Dorrell) 1 September 2017

The more I think about it, the happier I am with the Llorente signing. He’s got goals in him and he proved himself in the prem last yr #COYS

— Alex (@_ASmith99) 1 September 2017