Tottenham Hotspur Transfer Rumours: 5 Players Spurs Should Target

It is now August and Harry Redknapp is still sticking to his old habits. Widely renown for doing late transfer business, Redknapp has yet to make any significant moves to improve a Tottenham side that finished fifth in the table, failing to reach the Champions League in consecutive seasons.

Tottenham's first three signing this summer have been Brad Friedel, Souleymane Coulibaly, and Cristian Ceballos. Friedel provides Spurs with one of the most reliable and consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League, which is something they utterly lacked last season. Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes seemed to have at least one howler in every big game.

Coulibaly, dubbed by many as "The Next Didier Drogba", was snatched up by Redknapp this summer after his mesmorizing U-17 World Cup with the Ivory Coast in Mexico. The 16 year-old starlet bagged an astounding 9 goals in 4 games en route to winning the golden boot.

Cristian Ceballos is yet another player from the infamous Barcelona youth system. Ceballos' best attributes are his dribbling and technical ability. He can play either in central attacking midfield or as a striker when needed.

Coulibaly and Ceballos are great prospects for the future, but if Spurs want to challenge for a place in the Champions League in 2012-13, they must added more players that can help them win right away.

Here are five players that could help Spurs finish in the top four in 2011-12.

Joey Barton

Barton's recent Twitter rant has landed him on the transfer market. With the Newcastle United board keen to sell him this summer, Spurs could get a steal here with Barton. He is an excellent central midfielder and provides the club with insurance if Chelsea makes an outrageous bid for Luka Modric. Last season with Newcastle, Barton appeared in 35 games, scoring 5 goals.

Alberto Gilardino

Last season, Spurs strikers were amongst the worst in the Premier League. Going into the summer transfer window many thought Spurs would attempt to land a big name striker and they have yet to do so. Recent reports from England have revealed that Spurs have made a £12million bid for Italian striker Alberto Gilardino. Fiorentina are reportedly holding out for £15million for the 29 year-old.

Last season at Fiorentina, Gilardino scored 12 goals in 36 games. He may not be worth £15million at 29 years-old, but he would be a significant upgrade at striker.

Leandro Damião

After a successful debut season with Internacional, Damião found his name being linked to some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Barcelona. Earlier this summer, there were reports day in and day out that Spurs were very keen on the Brazilian and  were close to finalizing a deal, but nothing has come to light.

Despite his lack of experience, Leandro Damião seems an ideal fit for the English game. He is a big and strong striker with the technique of a midfield maestro. If he teamed up with Rafael van der Vaart, Premier League managers would get headaches trying to stop them on Saturdays and Sundays.

Juan Mata

With Barcelona keeping a close eye on Spurs winger Gareth Bale, signing Juan Mata seems like a smart move. Mata can play anywhere in attack. His versatility is just one reason he would be a great buy for Spurs. Heated rivals Arsenal are also reportedly interested in the Spanish winger so the move could be a costly one. For this reason, the only way Mata will join Spurs is if Modric is sold.

Mata is coming off a brilliant season with Valencia in Spain's La Liga. In 43 games for Els taronja, Mata found the back of the net 9 times while playing in his teammates for 15 assists.

Fernando Llorente

As usual, the best is saved for last. Fernando Llorente is one of the most underrated footballers in the world. For the last four seasons, Llorente has made it a habit to score goals. For one thing, it's not easy scoring goals when you play on a sub-par team like Athletic Bilbao.

With the right players around him, Llorente can become a superstar. Spurs happen to have players of quality that can bring out the best in Llorente, including the likes of Van der Vaart, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.