Will these four signings turn Tottenham Hotspur into title contenders?

Andre Villas-Boas has already made some acute and unquestionably judicious signings this summer, making entirely sure that he is bringing in the right players to help Tottenham Hotspur progress. He’s bided his time, he’s weighed up his options and he hasn’t been trigger-happy in overpaying for players.

Still, Spurs fans, possibly incited by the modesty of recent results, are demanding more in their bid to push for Champion’s League qualifying spots.

While it’s not quite time to man the panic stations, Tottenham do appear to still require more with the competition for the top four even sterner this year.

Now that they have gotten rid of the peerless, Luka Modric, another hole that needs filling has crumbled open.

The press have reacted, flooding the back pages and news forums with speculation about possible transfer dealings at White Hart Lane.

Here’s a look at some of the being touted with the club.

Willian – Shakthar Donetsk

The Brazilian with 13 international caps to his name has been at Shakhtar, playing in the Ukrainian Premier League since 2007.

Last season he scored 6 goals with 17 assists in all competitions. Assists will be his speciality having supplied more than any Spurs player in 2011/12.

Further to last year’s great statistics, Willian has wasted little time in bettering himself having already scored 1 and assisted 3 more in just 3 games for this season.

The skilful winger can play on either side of the midfield as a two-footed player but is vastly more affective in his more comfortable left role, cutting in. Spurs will have the option of even playing him in an advanced attacking midfield position if they opt for the pacey out-and-out wingplay of Lennon.

Loic Remy – Olympique Marseille

Spurs lost Saha and Pavlyuchenko and now have no experienced backup striker so, but for another signing, they may have to rely on the busy teenage rookie, Harry Kane.

Remy would, therefore, prove an exciting and necessary signing having netted 24 goals and even laid 8 on a plate for other players in the prior campaign. Adebayor only managed to score 18 in comparison but did so in less matches within a tougher league.

Defoe has even better numbers considering he did most of his work through substitute appearances. Remy could possibly end up as just a costly plan B to the strikers already available to Villas-Boas.

The French international has been linked with the North Londoners for a long time, so any speculation regarding a deal wouldn’t have been generated by Villas-Boas. Because of this, you’d have to wonder how likely the deal actually is.

Joao Moutinho – FC Porto

This would be an AVB acquisition and Moutinho has been the fan’s choice as a direct replacement to Modric – they’re of similar age, size and technical ability.

For a player whose game has more to do with controlling tempo and knitting defence, midfield and attack together, Moutinho has tallied 2 assists in 2 matches in the SuperLiga compared to many seasons of being relatively ineffective in terms of aiding the strike rate.

Possibly the only stumbling block in a deal is the fact that Porto will ask for around about the same amount as Spurs asked from Real for Modric. It’s yet to be seen whether Moutinho is worth that risk having not always proven his abilities at the highest level; and levels don’t get much higher than the EPL.

Moussa Dembele – Fulham

The Belgian has been very impressive in the opening few games, displaying his unique dribbling ability and upper body strength.

However, for an attacking midfielder, 2 goals and just 4 assists in almost 50 matches last season is a very modest outlay considering what Sigurdsson managed to do in just 17 appearances for his former club, Swansea, in 2011/12. 

An offer has already been accepted, and Dembele could be the first of these four through the door.

If Tottenham signed all four, could they challenge for the title? Who do you believe they will bring in?

image: © goulao