Sassuolo's Simone Zaza Could Be Perfect Addition to Tottenham's Striking Ranks

After the defeat to Manchester United that more or less ended their top four aspirations, Tottenham Hotspur can begin to turn their attentions to next season.

A crucial part of preparing for next season will be bringing in at least one striker, and possibly two, to replace the highly paid and poorly performing duo of Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Harry Kane remains at the absolute centre of Spurs' plans for the future, but the young striker needs support if he is to continue his remarkable rise.

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Memphis Depay remains the No. 1 target in the eyes of many Spurs fans and, with his brilliant season at PSV, it is easy to see why.

Depay exploded on to the scene with his timely World Cup performance for the Netherlands in Brazil, but he has been a known quantity in the Eredivisie for some time.

There is always hesitation when it comes to analysing stars from the Dutch league due to their well-known tendency to flop in other leagues.

Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Luis Suarez are just a few of the legitimate superstars to emerge from the Eredivisie, but the memories of players like Mateja Kezman, Afonso Alves and Mounir El Hamdaoui stand as a warning that a hatful of goals in the Eredivisie doesn't necessarily translate to the Premier League.

Depay seems to possess the qualities necessary to be a Premier League star. He is, at 21, the player that the most optimistic Spurs fan might have dreamed of Aaron Lennon becoming.

Explosive acceleration and stunning speed over longer distances, Depay's balance and power combine to make him possibly the best player in Europe outside the major leagues. He is an incredible talent.

Unfortunately for Spurs, they missed their best chance to sign Depay in the summer, and now, after proving himself to be consistently excellent, bigger names may enter the race to sign the Dutchman.

Regardless, Spurs will surely still try to sign Depay, but there must be other targets, lest they end up with nothing.

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Another player that has been linked heavily with a move to the Premier League is Simone Zaza, as reported by the Express' David Wright.

Previously co-owned by Juventus and Sassuolo, Zaza has been one of the main reasons that the Neroverdi have remained in Serie A.

He is capable of outrageous skill and is particularly adept at volleying, but his main assets are his strength and aggression, as well as a willingness to make runs. He is single-minded in possession, always looking for the goal, and determined to leave his mark in every game.

Zaza constantly challenges the opposition defence by making runs and battling physically with opponents.

This is the key attribute that makes him an ideal addition for Spurs. When Kane is defended well, Spurs struggle. At Old Trafford, he was unable to influence the game and United's defence was largely comfortable. With Zaza alongside Kane, Louis van Gaal's men would have had to deal with two very different threats.

Zaza's ability to bully opposition defenders would give Kane the space he needs to weave his magic while also giving him a target for his intelligent through balls. Kane seems to love slipping a pass through to a willing runner, but Spurs currently lack the right players for him to do so.

If Kane were injured or rested, Zaza would be more than capable of leading the line himself. Christian Eriksen would delight in his ability to wrestle space away from defenders.

Yet to reach double figures in terms of goals in a Serie A season, Zaza has nonetheless been reliable with 17 goals across his two years in Italy's top flight.

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Kane has been prolific this season, but it is hard to imagine he will be so free-scoring next season when teams have him thoroughly scouted and identified as Spurs' No. 1 threat. He will need someone to help carry the scoring load.

Sassuolo bought out Zaza's rights in the summer and have him contracted through 2019, having identified him as a vital player to their survival.

The man himself told the media (via ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell) that he is happy to stay and develop, saying, "I need to improve a lot and this is the ideal place to grow."

When Juve sold the remainder of his playing rights to Sassuolo, they included a buy-back clause of €15 million in 2015 and €18 million for 2016. Thanks to the currently very friendly exchange rate, if Juve don't exercise their option in 2016, Spurs could push for a transfer at a similar price, costing them around £12.5 million.

Although Spurs have been mentioned in the press, Zaza's agent denies having heard from the club, as noted by Tuttomercatoweb (h/t talkSPORT).

Zaza is still young, just 23, but carries a physicality that has seen him compared to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A martial arts enthusiast, like the deadly Swede, Zaza's sweet volleying technique appears to echo his extra-curricular pursuits.

His experience under coach Eusebio Di Francesco makes Zaza familiar with complex pressing and would no doubt suit Mauricio Pochettino's comparable approach.

Zaza is not the man to replace Kane in Spurs' attacking lineup. Rather, Zaza is the sort of player that could help Kane continue to grow while also contributing himself.

A scorer of some great goals, Zaza is not yet a great goalscorer, but he would help Spurs improve and would certainly be a better option than either of their current substitute strikers.

Zaza is a player on the rise. Despite his contract extension, this will likely be his last season with Sassuolo. He is simply too good to stay with a club of that stature. Tottenham could be the club to sign him and, if they were, they would benefit massively from a strong, aggressive player that understands when to press and how to put the ball in the net.