Walk up to any Tottenham Hotspur fan and ask the area they need strengthening and nine times out of ten 'up front' will be the instantaneous reply. The north London side failed to adequately bolster the attacking line before the close of the January transfer window, amidst reports that a deal for Leandro Damiao had been in the offing before Internacional pulled the plug on any transfer.
With just Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor the only out and out strikers available to Andre Villas-Boas, the former is currently injured and the latter struggling for consistency, missing out on a front man could well be the difference between Champions League and Europa League football next season.
Regardless of the transfer window closing more than two weeks ago, the rumour mill continues to spontaneously churn out transfer story after story, the latest of which has seen Christian Benteke linked with a move to White Hart Lane.
The Belgian only moved to Aston Villa last summer for a fee believed to be around £7m and after making five appearances for former club Genk before his move to the Midlands meant any deal was an impossibility, such is the FIFA ruling that a player can only play for two teams in one season.
Nevertheless, a summer switch to Spurs is rumoured to be in the offing, such is their need to bring in another frontman. But is Benteke the answer to the north Londoners' striking problems? The 22-year-old has been directly responsible for 15 Premier League goals for Villa this season, 11 of which have been netted by himself.
Considering Paul Lambert's side have put the ball in the back of the net just 25 times this year, that stat is all the more impressive. His ability to hit the target, while bringing teammates into play, is exactly the characteristics that Villas-Boas needs to make his 4-2-3-1 system work.
Furthermore, with the creativity of Gareth Bale, Lewis Holtby and Aaron Lennon in support, that figure would only significantly improve, no offence Villa fans. While the arrival of Holtby will bolster the creative ranks in the midfield, the fact of the matter is Spurs still need a player that will put the ball in the back of the net, regardless of the exploits of Bale.
Benteke could well be that player to provide that final attacking threat to Spurs in their continuous pursuit of turning from perennial top four contenders to title challengers. With Villa struggling and Spurs flying, not to mention the eyes of Europe watching the young striker, the thought of the powerful Belgium international arriving at White Hart Lane is one to leave fans salivating and a dream that could become a reality when the transfer window reopens in the summer.
