In Ramos we trust

Could these two or three extra few signings that we're after be on the way before the window shuts on midnight of 31st August?

According to our friends at Setanta, they could just be. A report from them says Juande Ramos has confirmed that he is looking to bring in both defensive and offensive players before the September 1 deadline.

The Spurs coach has been linked with a whole host of stars from far and wide this summer and has already reshaped his squad considerably.

With Zenit St Petersburg confirming that the deal to take Andrei Arshavin to White Hart Lane is dead and a move for Manchester City's Vedran Corluka falling through, Ramos is looking at both ends of the field for reinforcements.

"We've got a list of targets that we are working very hard on," Ramos added.

"Negotiations are tough and sometimes they are even tougher than usual. We know what we are working towards and we know what our objectives are.

"The process of signing players sometimes takes time, but fans should be aware we are trying to strengthen up front and sign a new forward. Quite often, these things take time.

"It's true to say we have one or two areas that we need to look at defensively and maybe solve a few problems at the back."

What's going on at Spurs?

As the days tick by I'm beginning to feel more and more uneasy about our dealings in the transfer market. We continue to be linked with literally dozens of players and, while a lot of this will be idle media speculation, we've still not signed reinforcements where most needed.

Our midfield is world class and a match for any Prem club, but we need the support at the back if we're to challenge for a coveted top four spot. I'm sure Levy, Comolli and Ramos are busy working behind the scenes, but I'd certainly feel much happier if were to actually announce the signings of some players, not just endlessly chase then and then turn away at the 11th hour (a la Arshavin).

I'm not going to pin our whole season on the first game, but what the weekend's game did show us is where we are weakest. Middlesbrough played the ball over our midfield often catching the defence napping and were through too easily. The defence also failed to close down attacking players giving them too much space. We need defensive reinforcements to cover players when injured and also to compete for places. Competition in the squad is a key factor in driving up quality and keeping players on their toes.

We were also impotent in attack. Despite having 60% possession we really didn't do much with it. Bent looked isolated and Giovanni dos Santos had a bit of a wake up call in his first Prem match. Berbatov showed some great touches when he came on, but was quickly complaining when things didn't go his way. It's no surprise that our goal came from an own goal.

I'm not one to be down and think we will bounce back against Sunderland this weekend, but we do need those new players in and fast!

Spurs close in on three strikers

There is no doubt that we need strengthening in the goal scoring department, but the question remains exactly who are Ramos and Levy planning to bring in?

Two names in the frame this morning (and let’s face it our links with strikers change like the wind at the moment) are Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Ajax and Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz. At the same time, we’re apparently still in the market for Andrei Arshavin with Zenit reportedly dropping their price.

Any two of these three could be a mouth-watering prospect and would give us attacking options that would rival any of the top premiership clubs.

Huntelaar is known in Holland for his phenomenal goal-scoring record. In his last two seasons alone, he has scored 74 goals in 82 games, a record rivalling that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Many have wondered whether he could adapt in the Premier League, but his compatriot Ruud Van Nistelrooy has already said he can. Spurs will use £22m from the Berbatov transfer to match Ajax’s asking price.

Santa Cruz, meanwhile, is a proven Prem goal scorer hitting 19 League goals and 23 in total from 42 games in his debut season last term. It’s no surprise that Blackburn are putting a high price tag on him having already rejected a bid from Man City for £12m.

Arshavin’s pace and goal scoring skills were there for all to see during the Euros and moving from the Russian league to the Premiership should be a manageable transition.

I’m still not sure whether he’s best placed in midfield or attack, so if we do get him it will be interesting to see how Ramos plays him.

If the deal for Berbatov finally goes through (and rumour has is it that it will as soon as we have a replacement striker lined up) surely we could afford two out of these three?

The Special One backs Spurs for top 4!

New Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has spoken out ahead of the big premiership kick-off this weekend.

Mourinho believes that the only club in the premier league that has any chance of breaking into the big four, would be Tottenham.

"Tottenham surely has the quality to fight for a top four finish," Mourinho said.

He went on to say, Tottenham are not too far away from Arsenal, and feels Arsenal could fall short of a top four spot this season.

Are Tottenham the richest club in the premiership?

If the news that Levy is now holding out for £32m for Berbatov is true, it will put the transfer right up there as the biggest in British history, joint top with Carlos Tevez who Utd are thought to be spending the same amount on.

The comings and goings at WHL this close season surely rival that of any other summer, but the figures this year have been off the charts compared to previous seasons.

By my reckoning we’ve made more money that any other Prem club in player sales and while we’ve also spent a lot, the balance sheet must be looking pretty healthy.

Players out:
Paul Robinson - £3.5m
Pascal Chimbonda - £4.9m
Teemu Tainio - £3.5m
Robbie Keane - £20.3m
Steed Malbranque – £4m
Younes Kaboul – £5m
Anthony Gardner – £2.5m
Dimitar Berbatov - £32m
Young-Pyo Lee - £800k
Total: £76.5m

Players in:
John Bostock - £700k
Heurelho Gomes - £7m
Luka Modric - £15.8m
Giovani dos Santos - £4.7m
David Bentley - £15m
Cesar Sanchez - £200k
Total: £43.4

If all these rumoured figures are right (and if the Berbatov deal goes through) that leaves a tasty balance of £33.1m. Assuming Senor Ramos spends this on strikers, we’re still starting the season with a reinvigorated and stronger squad, but without any debt – something Moan U and Chelski fans could only dream of!

Question is, just who are we going to spend it on?

Who's our mystery new striker

We broke the news here yesterday that Berbatov would be leaving White Hart Lane and today the message boards and sport sites are alight with the news that a £28m deal is in the offing.

Despite Ramos's comments that he'd like to keep Berbs at the Lane for at least another season, it seems the club hierarchy have finally had it with Dimitar's sulks and indifferent pre-season form.

If the £28m price is true then as far as I'm concerned that's a fantastic bit of business. Bought for circa £11m two years ago and sold for a £17m profit today - lovely!

Word on the street is that Berbatov will be in a red shirt by the end of the week.

So, if he is on his way, just who are we drafting in as a replacement? We continue to be linked with strikers, Nene of Monaco being the latest, but no firm deals have been announced yet.

According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are believed to be close to signing an additional striker and that is why we are now ready to let Berbs go.

But with Spurs linked with just about every half-decent striker in Europe the question remains, who will join in the transfer window?

Who would you like to see at WHL alongside Bent and Jonny two Saints?

Berbs to Moan U - it's a done deal

I can't help feeling that the current media reports on our beloved Berbatov are the final sign that he's on his way.

Ramos has said today he'd love Berbatov to stay. For this read: "I know he's off, but I want the fans to know I did my best to keep him and always rated him as a player, so it's not my fault!"

At the same time, reports are that Ferguson is fed up with the sulking Bulgarian and is now in the market for Thierry Henry. For this read: "I'm buggered if the UK press are going to second guess me - I'll throw them off the scent with some false rumours leaving me to concentrate on signing Berbatov who I've been trying to get since last summer."

And finally, Ferguson is widely reported to be on the look out for strikers following a scoreless draw in the Community Shield yesterday. For this read: "I've already got my signing in the bag and am just waiting for the faxed contract to come through from White Hart Lane".

You mark my words, Berbatov will be a United player by August 31st.

So with our star striker on his way, don't be surprised if the Arshavin deal re-emerges this week as we look to sure-up the attack before the end of August. I've already seen a few blogs and new feeds speculating this quoting "reliable sources".

And another quality signing can't come soon enough. Our pre-season form has been fantastic and I'm feeling confident of taking three points against Middlebrough on Saturday, but if we're to break into the top for and compete in the UEFA Cup we wll need more fire power.

If I remember rightly our pre-season form was great going into last season and it wasn't long before the wheels fell off and BMJ was packing his bags.

A couple more quality signings will boost the team and keep the feel good factor going. COYS!

Spurs make keeper 6th summer signing

Reports this morning say we have signed Cesar Sanchez from Spanish side Real Zaragoza. We've clearly been in the market for another keeper since the bizarre move for Derby's shot stopper, Stephen Bywater.

While undoubetedly Gomes will always been first choice (and I reckon Alnwick stands a good chance as a second string keeper) Ramos clearly wants some extra options. At 36 years old , a one year loan for Cesar (with the option for longer) seems to work well for both parties.

Having been with Real Madrid prior to Zaragoza, he's sure to bring with him a whole heap of experience and knowledge which can only be a good thing. I think it's sometimes easy to forget just how important experience can be behind the scenes when preparing for the big games. This is the kind of player we need in our squad if the younger players are to be inspired to push through.

Cesar will now have a medical with Spurs expected to pay 70% of his salary until the end of the season.

Calling Cuellar

After a spree on attacking players and links with just about every striker in and outside the Prem it's reassuring to see reports suggesting we're in the market for some defenders.

With Kaboul seemingly on his way out we need cover at the back.

Reports suggest we are ready to bid on Rangers’ Carlos Cuellar following their exit from European competition. Cuellar is in the frame as he's known byJuande from his time in La Liga with Osasuna. Ours scouts also saw some of his excellent displays last season while monitoring big Alan Hutton.

Cuellar or Corluka - either would be good.

Striking out?

Is it just me or are we linked with every striker in Europe that's around the £20m+ mark?

In the last week Spurs have been linked with Villa, Ashton, Arshavin, Pavlacheynko and even bloody Diego Forlan. And let's not forget it's only been a few weeks since we were apparently in the market for Lukas Podolski and Ruud Van Nistelrooy!

Now, some of our friends in the national press are linking us with Samuel Eto'o (again!).

According to the Daily Mail Ramos is in pole position with the Catalan giants keen on taking Berbs to the Nou Camp.

Call me cynical, but I just can't see it happening. Firstly, Eto'o's salary demands would blow our wage structure to pieces and secondly, surely he'll want a club that offers him CL.

With a little over a week to the start of the season we need to get our strikers sorted out, but I for one would be much happier with Ramos and Levy convincing Berbs to stay and making sure Bent keeps his rich vein of pre-season form going.

With Bentley hopefully providing the crosses that Lennon has never been able to achieve from the right, two tall target men could give us some tasty options. With Giovanni dos Santos available from the bench Ramos could inject some pace and mix things up at the front.

We've got until the end of August to sign another striker and hopefully some cover for Woody and Ledley, then we're looking good for solid season.

One striker, one defender - who would you like to see at the Lane?

Corluka - coming or not?

I'm as excited as the next man about the start of the new season, but I've still got this niggling feeling about our back four.

If Woody, King, Hutton and Bale stay fit then clean sheets look like a promising prospect particulaly now we've got a new keeper between the sticks. One of these gets injured though and we could easily start to leak goals, which was a big problem last term.

I for one would be keen to see Vedran Corluka come to the Lane to bolster the defence. Depending on what you read though, it's still not clear whether he's on his way or not.

Mark Hughes gave him a starting role last night at Celtic and City have confirmed that talks have begun between the two clubs.

Is a move to WHL on the cards?