Wednesday 7 December 2016 20:03, UK
With the January transfer window fast approaching, Football Whispers look at two targets for Tottenham to help with their Premier League campaign.
Currently sitting fifth, Mauricio Pochettino's men are within sight of the top four and will look to rubber stamp their title contender status against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Nissan Super Sunday.
Spurs made an impressive start to the current campaign, picking up wins over Crystal Palace, Stoke and Sunderland, and became the first side to defeat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City as they looked to build on their third-place finish last term.
But a disappointing series of results in the Champions League has seen them fail to qualify for the knockout stages and while they have only lost once in the Premier League, six draws from 14 games has seen them drop more points than they would have liked.
With qualification for Europe's top competition next season still very much the target, the north Londoners may look to add some high-quality signings in the new year to help achieve a level of consistency that has eluded them of late.
We have taken a look at what two rumoured targets - Torino striker Andrea Belotti and Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford - could bring to White Hart Lane.
Italy international Andrea Belotti has become a Serie A sensation this season, netting 10 league goals from 13 games for Torino and Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport report that Spurs are considering a big-money move for the 22-year-old.
The striker signed for Torino in 2015 for a fee of €7.5m and bagged a respectable 12 Serie A goals from 35 games in his first season with Il Toro. This term, however, the young No 9 has taken his game to a whole new level, demonstrating superb timing of forward runs, excellent close control and lethal finishing.
Belotti's superlative form led to an international debut in a friendly against France in August, going on to score three goals in five appearances for the Azzurri.
In 1228 minutes of action this season, Belotti has found the net 11 times and registered three assists, meaning he is directly involved in a goal every 87.7 minutes. By way of comparison, Harry Kane has either scored or assisted every 104.6 minutes and Vincent Janssen contributes to a goal every 209.7 minutes while Son Heung-Min's average is 116.1 minutes.
And for a player making most of his passes under pressure in high areas, the Italian's pass completion rate is extremely impressive. He picks out a team-mate with 79.6 per cent of his attempted passes - significantly better than Kane (70.3 per cent) and a slight improvement on Janssen (79.4 per cent).
The confidence level that Belotti is currently operating with is also abundantly evident when analysing his statistics. He has taken a total of 46 shots so far this season for an average of one attempt every 26.6 minutes, and has hit the target 45.7 per cent of the time.
Kane averages a shot every 28.5 minutes - although the England striker boasts 54.5 per cent shot accuracy - and Janssen shoots every 27 minutes but only hits the target 32.3 per cent of the time.
But trying to land his signature will be much easier said than done as the Torino star has recently put pen to paper on a new five-year contract with a reported €100 million release clause.
Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been regarded as a bright prospect for some time, having progressed through the Black Cats' academy and gradually built up experience with a series of loans to lower league teams.
With 14 Premier League appearances under his belt, he is now being considered as a potential heir to Joe Hart for England and The Sun reports that Spurs are eyeing the 22-year-old as a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris.
The France captain has consistently been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane, with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid said to be interested in his services
Making a move for Pickford would also be in line with Pochettino's transfer policy of nabbing young talent for his side, with plenty of England team-mates also in the Spurs ranks.
The stopper has been the outstanding performer for a struggling Sunderland side this season, making a staggering 51 saves - 15 more than the less busy Lloris - and 42 clearances.
The form of David Moyes' side has improved in recent weeks, but Pickford has been a consistent bright spark and Sunderland might have been much worse off were it not for his incredible reflexes.
Sunderland will be reticent to sell their most promising young player, especially to another Premier League team, but should Spurs come calling, the possibility of playing Champions League football could prove tempting for Pickford.
