Top 5 Players Spurs Should Target to Mount Assault on Premier League's Top 4

Between 2009 and 2012, Tottenham achieved two top-four finishes under Harry Redknapp, allowing their fans to enjoy the theatrical and competitive spectacle of midweek Champions League football.

However, since that brief period, it would appear that the club are drifting slowly backwards toward the much-derided Europa competition, as they appear unable to attract the calibre of talent capable of sustaining their lofty ambition.

With the side averaging a mere 3.6 shots on target per game and having scored only nine goals this season—which is fewer than any of last season’s top four—it would appear that creativity and firepower are Tottenham’s real Achilles' heel this season. Furthermore, the club's goals-per-game average stands at 1.29, which is damningly fewer than the league's average at 1.40.

With this in mind, let’s assess some of the potential candidates that Mauricio Pochettino will need in order to make his side feasible Champions League contenders ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and North London rivals, Arsenal.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

After a colossal amount of spending from Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy over the past few years, funds may be limited, and at about £3 million, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar could be just the right fit for the club, offering a short-term and financially viable proposition. The Dutch international is out of contract at the end of the season, so the Bundesliga side may be tempted to cash in on their striker in the new year.

Huntelaar is no stranger to finding the net, finishing top goal scorer in the 2011-12 Bundesliga campaign with 29 goals. Furthermore, the 31-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down, having been taken to the 2014 World Cup by Louis van Gaal, and already scoring an impressive four times in six outings this season.

Memphis Depay

At just 20 years old and having made four appearances for the Dutch national team at this summer’s World Cup, Memphis Depay is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in European football. With Erik Lamela so far stuttering in the Premier League and Andros Townsend struggling for fitness, Depay could provide the width and creativity that Spurs so desperately need.

He has scored five goals this season, including two sublime free-kicks. He is not yet the finished article but could provide the ammunition that Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado have been thus far lacking this season.

Hulk

It was a great shame in 2012 when Hulk seemed to shun the advances of the Premier League in favour of a €60 million transfer to Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg. However, since then, he has stated his love for the Premier League.

This factor, along with a disappointing World Cup, may prompt Hulk to make now the right time to move on. He scored 54 goals in 99 games in a prolific spell at Porto and followed that with an impressive 29 in 51 for Zenit. Could he perhaps be tempted to join former strike-partner Radamel Falcao in England?

Isco 

It would be a major coup, but with just two starts under his belt this season, Isco is clearly failing to hold down a regular position at Real Madrid since the arrivals of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, with a wealth of attacking resources at his disposal, may possibly accept that Isco could leave the club on a short-term loan basis in January.

Isco can operate on the left or in the centre, so with him and Christian Eriksen in the side, Tottenham fans could expect the unlocking of multiple doors and ample creativity.

Jackson Martínez

It would take a herculean effort to persuade the Colombian to join a side currently not in the Champions League, but if Tottenham have any money left over from the Bale transfer, then this is the player to buy.

The striker has scored 51 goals in 64 appearances for Porto, so I suggest that Spurs use all the bargaining chips available to them, including a possible makeweight involving Adebayor, Soldado or Lamela. The formidable striker further enhanced his reputation during this year’s World Cup with a brace against Japan, which included the winning goal.

There is further optimism in that Porto have a recent history of consistently selling their best players, so if the price is right, capturing Martínez would be a real signal of intent to the rest of the Premier League.