Signing Saido Berahino and Victor Wanyama Would Solve Tottenham's Biggest Issues

Tottenham have had a rough start to the season. 

Without setting the league on fire, they aren't playing particularly badly. 

However, they have only two points from three games and have looked worryingly goal shy.

On the opening day at Old Trafford they were the better side but failed to adequately test Sergio Romero on his debut in Manchester United's goal. 

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Impressive enough for an hour against Stoke City, they fell apart completely when Harry Kane was subbed off. 

That betrayed a predictable but still concerning over-reliance on the Englishman's contribution.

He was always likely to struggle to hit the same heights in year two now that he is a known quantity. Every team now prepares for Kane more than any other Tottenham player. Kane will face a backlash if he is unable to win games single-handedly this season.

Unfortunately, it is almost certain that his star would fall a little closer back to earth this year.

Leicester City held Spurs gamely at bay for much of the match until their enthusiasm briefly overcame their disciplined defending and Dele Alli pounced. 

Much of their weakness in attack comes from a dearth of pace and the weakness of attacking options beyond Kane. 

Nacer Chadli is Spurs' second most-effective attacking player. A somewhat one-dimensional player, Chadli is doing his best but does not often flourish when under pressure. 

On the right flank, Moussa Dembele has been quietly impressive but lacks the physical capacity to control games consistently. 

Beyond attacking toothlessness, Spurs' opening matches have had another common denominator; Eric Dier in central midfield. 

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Dier is an excellent young central defender and his time in Tottenham's midfield is undoubtedly doing him a world of good. It is not doing the same for his team. 

Lacking the natural instincts and the ability to move the ball as quickly as his teammates, Dier is a liability. 

He tackles well and holds his position as required but is not an adequate central midfielder. 

His presence puts undue pressure on his midfield partner; Nabil Bentaleb on the opening day and Ryan Mason in the subsequent two matches. 

Mauricio Pochettino has thus far been unwilling to revert to last season's preferred Mason-Bentaleb partnership partly due to fitness concerns over first one and then the other but the flaws of that pairing were on the defensive side of things. 

Tottenham's two major problems; a slow, one-dimensional attack and a midfield lacking an effective defensive presence, are clear. 

They have not been helped by uncharacteristic errors from Toby Alderweireld and slightly more predictable mistakes from his partner Jan Vertonghen but the major flaws are evidently further upfield. 

Pochettino sounded the cavalry call in the press conference following his team's third disappointing result of the young season, saying "he [chairman Daniel Levy] is trying to get the player we want. I trust him." 

News, via the Telegraph, that Saido Berahino was omitted from West Brom's weekend team due to an apparently imminent transfer will come as some relief. 

So too, does Sky's report that Southampton tackling machine Victor Wanyama has expressed a desire to leave the club and that he wishes to be reunited with former boss Pochettino at Spurs. 

This duo would not be cheap, costing around £38 million combined according to most reports, but would solve Tottenham's most pressing issues. 

Those fees would leave Spurs with a £20 million net spend for the window. Not since the summer of 2010 has the club spent so much more than they have recouped through sales. 

With a stadium to pay for, it seems unlikely that such a significant net spend would be considered. 

This probably hints at more outgoings before the closure of the window. Aaron Lennon and Emmanuel Adebayor's names are likely first on the transfer list but other too could be under threat. 

Berahino's pace would be a huge asset. 

His aggressive movement would necessitate attention from opposition defences, alleviating some of the constrictive marking that has dogged Kane in the matches so far. 

The duo's effective partnership for England under-21s has been well remarked upon already and the arrival of Berahino at White Hart Lane would undoubtedly be well received by both Pochettino and his star striker. 

Wanyama is a rugged, unsophisticated player who would not necessarily play every match were he to move to Spurs but he possesses a skillset that none of his prospective Tottenham teammates could claim. 

Chiefly a midfield 'destroyer', Wanyama would enhance Tottenham's physicality and free Bentaleb or Mason up for more creative duties.

He is certainly no cretinous thug. At least as good as Dier with the ball at his feet, Wanyama rarely dwells upon possession, preferring to move it on swiftly. 

Signing either player would improve Tottenham substantially while both drastically improve the chances of this being the year that Spurs shove their way past the other top four contenders and finally secure a return to the Champions League. 

Fans and Pochettino alike will be frustrated with the fact that their team remains incomplete in late August. 

That is, of course, to be expected for a club like Tottenham. 

The existence of bigger fish necessitates waiting for the latest part of the window to make these moves. 

The smaller clubs must also be allowed time to identify replacements before they'll let their best players leave. 

It is an unfortunate reality that Spurs must do their best to deal with each summer. 

In 2012-13, Tottenham had only three points from their first three matches. Spurs looked utterly outmatched, weak and toothless as they lost to both Manchester clubs inside the first two games. 

In that third match, a 2-0 away win at Wolves, a pair of new signings made their debuts. 

A defensive midfielder and a striker, both long wooed, had finally been acquired as the transfer window closed. 

Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor were the stars of that season as Tottenham finished with a record Premier League points total, fourth and denied Champions League football only by the most unlikely of European Cup victories by Chelsea. 

Should this season end with Spurs in fourth place by virtue of excellent seasons from another two new signings, the difficult start to this season will be consigned to a footnote.