Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy by extension are plotting a January bid to sign one prolific forward for manager Ange Postecoglou, coming as his club now consider selling mid-season, regardless of his star player status.
Spurs planning January transfers amid mixed start to season
Postecoglou promised supporters that he "always" wins trophies in his second season in charge, but so far, the chinks in Tottenham's armour have been exposed in a few Premier League matches this season.
Indeed, this was most apparent in their most recent top-flight encounter - a 3-2 defeat away to Brighton. Goals from Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck cemented a dramatic 3-2 comeback for the Seagulls, who were originally two down at half-time thanks to strikes from the in-form Brennan Johnson and playmaker James Maddison.
This ended Spurs' previous winning run of five games on the trot in all competitions, giving Postecoglou and club chiefs things to seriously think about after what the Australian called his "worst" defeat as Lilywhites boss so far.
"It was disappointing and I’m absolutely gutted with that," said Postecoglou.
"It's an unacceptable second half - we were nowhere near where we should be. Maybe we got carried away with how we were going. We kind of accepted our fate and it's hard to understand as we've not done that while I've been here. We usually fight for everything, and when you don’t you pay a price.
"Maybe things were travelling on too smoothly. Football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself and that’s what it looked like in the second half. It’s a terrible loss for us, as bad as it gets, and there’s only one way to fix it and that’s my responsibility."
Tottenham take on West Ham United in a crunch London derby clash, their first game back after the international break, and Postecoglou will need to rally his side to a much more convincing performance than their trip to the Amex.
January represents a golden opportunity to strengthen Postecoglou's ranks as well, and they've already been linked with a few forwards. Spurs have their eyes on Espanyol winger Javi Puado, and an update has just come out of Spain on the matter.
Tottenham could make January bid for Puado
As per La Razon, Tottenham could make a January bid for Puado, as his contract is ticking towards expiry, and he may even be available for a cheap fee as a result.
Espanyol are considering a sale of the Spaniard, despite his star player status and the fact he scored 17 goals in all competitions for them last season. Puado boasts a further three goals from their opening eight La Liga games this campaign, starting the season off in fine fashion and attracting interest from England.