Tottenham Transfer Rumours: 6 Big Names Linked to Spurs

It's been a while since we've done a round-up of the biggest Spurs rumors in the media, so we're here to recap all the latest gossip for you.

For the most part, you'll find this list is made up mostly of the same names you've been hearing for months now, such as the big fella in this article's main picture.

However, there are a couple of new names that might surprise you, and might even excite you as we get closer and closer to the summer transfer window, and going through all the wonderful drama that comes with it.

Jan Vertonghen

According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have emerged as favorites to sign Jan Vertonghen in the summer for a fee of around £15 million.

Ajax have reportedly become resigned to losing their best defender, and want to cash in on their star center back to avoid losing him on a free transfer in the summer of 2013.

Vertonghen has already spoken very positively about Tottenham, telling Goal.com:

"

I think Tottenham are an amazing club and you see how well they are doing this season. They are in the top three in England and that’s where I want to play. I can’t say anything about whether there has been contact about a transfer but I think my game can be suited to English football.

I love the atmosphere and it has the best players in the world, it breathes football. It’s one of my goals to play in the best leagues and against the best players. It’s the only competition I watch apart from Barcelona.

"

As has already been pointed out in the talkSPORT article, Tottenham will surely face competition from at least Arsenal and maybe even Chelsea for Vertonghen's signature, but there are many signs that the odds may be in their favor to sign the Belgian defender when summertime rolls around.

Stephane Sessegnon

After a lackluster debut half-season with Sunderland in 2010-11, Sessegnon has arguably been his team's best player this season, with seven goals and nine assists in 27 matches this season, and some excellent performances, such as the one he put in against Arsenal in Sunderland's FA Cup win over the Gunners.

Sessegnon's performances have apparently attracted attention from Tottenham and Arsenal, according to the Daily Mail.

The article states that both teams are looking to "boost their attacking options" and that Sessegnon's ability to act as an emergency striker makes him a valuable commodity.

That's all well and good, but at least for Tottenham, a move for Sessegnon wouldn't make much sense.

Sessegnon would only really fit in the "Rafael van der Vaart position," since he's way too small to play as a target man and was unsuccessful last season as a winger.

Since that position is directly in conflict with the non-target man striker position in Tottenham's tactics, that would mean Sessegnon would find himself vying with at least Jermain Defoe, Louis Saha, VDV and Niko Kranjcar (on occasion) for playing time.

Needless to say, it's hard to see Sessegnon getting very much PT.

If Tottenham were to acquire him for cheaply, I could see this being a good deal, but otherwise, this doesn't look like a move that would pan out well for either the team or the player.

Eden Hazard

Harry Redknapp is notorious for being one of the most unpredictable managers in the transfer market. Some might even call him a "wheeler dealer," though we'd advise against using that term in his presence.

Because of this reputation, it was somewhat surprising to hear Redknapp confirm that Tottenham were indeed in on Eden Hazard, and had put him "on [their] list" for the summer.

It isn't too surprising though, especially when considering that it was Hazard himself who first opened the door to a move to Tottenham.

I don't think we'll hear many developments on this story between now and the summer, but I'd expect Tottenham to be favorites for Hazard's signature if—and it's a big if—Tottenham can keep hold of Luka Modric and Harry Redknapp (notice how I left Gareth Bale out because I believe there's nothing substantial to indicate move to Barcelona is on the cards).

Leandro Damiao

There's a whole article on Bleacher Report with sources and everything for this rumor, so I'll go ahead link you to it here rather than recap the details.

My opinion on this rumor? I'm skeptical. Very skeptical.

This was the biggest transfer rumor of last summer for Tottenham: We were going to bring in Leandro Damiao as our marquee signing of the summer and march forward with one of the brightest prospects of the new generation of Brazilian talents.

What happened? Nothing. We offered large sums of money, but Internacional refused to sell. There's no guarantee things will be any different this summer.

If anything, having scored 40 goals in 51 matches for Internacional this season, I expect Damiao's value to skyrocket, and with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested in his signature, I expect the Paris giants will get it.

It would be great to have another Brazilian talent and star-in-the-making at Tottenham, but I wouldn't pin too much hope on this transfer pulling through, because chances are it won't.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor is already a Tottenham player.

According to The Telegraph however, Tottenham could finally be set to sign him on a permanent deal with a £4 million up-front payment and £100,000-a-week wages, in addition to whatever transfer fee is agreed upon between Tottenham and Manchester City.

Adebayor has been a key player for Tottenham this season, and Daniel Levy is keen to secure the Togolese international's future with the club as soon as possible, especially with the possibility of Harry Redknapp's departure looming over the club.

The £4 million payment to Adebayor would compensate for the lost wages he would experience in downgrading from his £170,000-a-week to £100,000-a-week.

We've been hearing about a permanent deal for Adebayor since January now, but nothing has materialized. The sooner this is taken care of, the sooner Tottenham can focus on signing new players for the team.

Walter Samuel

We'll conclude with one of the more ridiculous transfer rumors to come about in recent weeks.

Apparently, Walter Samuel has turned down a contract offer at Inter Milan in the hopes of making a move to London, according to his agent, via the Daily Mail.

Not only would it be ridiculous for Tottenham to bring in the aging 33-year-old Argentine to White Hart Lane, but it would be ridiculous for any of the other London clubs (Chelsea and Arsenal) to bring him in as well.

Samuel is delusionally demanding £90,000 a week to stay at Inter Milan, and any EPL club in London would be foolish to match those kind of wages for a player so injury-prone and old.

Additionally, Samuel is no longer the defensive stalwart he was under Jose Mourinho when Inter won the treble in 2009-10, having slowed down considerably since that historic season.

If Samuel wishes to cut his demands in half, then Tottenham might be interested, but otherwise, he'd best negotiate a deal with Inter Milan as quickly as possible, because I would be amazed if another club in the world was foolish enough to match his ridiculous wage demands.