Tottenham will be preparing for their final five games of the season as the battle for a spot in the top four continues. Focus will then turn to the summer transfer window, which is a massive one for a number of clubs.
In the January window, Spurs brought in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, both of whom have had a very positive start to their Tottenham chapter. However, it is clear Antonio Conte still needs more players to help take his side to the next level, reiterated by the last two results against Brighton and Brentford.
A number of names have already been floating around as those Spurs may target during the next window, but only time will tell who the north London club manage to get. This is also likely to be affected by where the Lilywhites finish in the league, which is why Champions League football next season is even more important.
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Two players who have been linked are Christian Eriksen and Youri Tielemans. The former joined Brentford in January, as he made his return to the Premier League after his cardiac arrest at the Euros last summer.
The Dane has made an immediate impact on his new side and has already scored one goal and registered two assists in his seven league appearances. Eriksen came up against a number of his former teammates on Saturday in the 0-0 draw with Spurs.
The 30-year-old highlighted his quality, playing freely around the midfield and taking some solid corners and free-kicks. Another boost for Tottenham with their former player is that come the summer, he will be a free agent.
Many Spurs fan are calling for Eriksen to return to N17. Not only has the Dane played at Tottenham for a number of years and played under Conte at Inter Milan, he also knows Pierre Emile Hojbjerg well from his time with Denmark.
Ahead of Saturday's clash, the current Tottenham midfielder spoke on the rumours of Eriksen's return. "The opportunity speaks for itself in relation to the history that Christian has with Tottenham. He will always be a hot topic and at the heart of Tottenham," Hojbjerg admitted.
"He has the qualities, and he has the personality and then he’s still at a good age. He has had many good years at Tottenham and that is why I always think his name will be hot in the club. It goes without saying, I think.
"I am very happy on his behalf that he has come to the Premier League. I think it’s a league that suits him well," the 26-year-old added.
And he's not the only midfielder linked. Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Youri Tielemans will leave Leicester in the summer, and Tottenham could be one of the clubs interested.
The 24-year-old has made 27 Premier League appearances so far this season, scoring six goals and registering two assists. This week, former Premier League star Kevin Phillips said that Tielemans would be an upgrade on Hojbjerg if Fabio Paratici decided to make a move for him.
"He’d be a real upgrade on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, I think Tielemans is a fantastic player. That’s not knocking Hojbjerg – he’s done really well since coming into Tottenham. But with Tielemans, he’s just that extra level above in terms of creativity and quality on the ball," the 48-year-old admitted to Football Insider.
"You could also play those two together. Hojbjerg can break up the play really well while Tielemans can provide that spark from midfield. If they can get him – because I know Man United and Arsenal are interested – it would be a great signing."
If either Tielemans or Eriksen made the move to Tottenham, or even both, Conte would have some decisions to make. There would need to be some questions regarding the other midfielders in the squad and a potential formation change.
After the 0-0 draw against Thomas Frank's side, the Italian was asked about the potential of altering the setup, but he seemed quite confident in the tactics he has found success with at clubs before Spurs. Tottenham currently have Hojbjerg, Bentancur and Harry Winks as their central midfield options, with Oliver Skipp still working to recover from his injury.
As Phillips indicates, someone like Tielemans could either play alongside the Dane, or replace him. This would push Winks even further down the pecking order and his lack of game time may drive him to want to leave in the summer.
This would also leave a question over Skipp's place in the starting XI. Before his injury he was producing solid performances, but has been out for most of the year, as he continues with his recovery.
One of Tottenham's big problems this season has been the lack of quality in the depth of the squad, with Conte not having many options of game changers on the bench. Having players like Skipp or Hojbjerg on the bench, if new arrivals break straight into the startling line-up, would be a boost for Spurs.
There are undoubtedly players who won't accept sitting on the sideline, but this could also be a benefit, creating genuine competition for starting spots. Eriksen's addition could also force a tactical change.
Conte has favoured a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 set-up at Tottenham and doesn't seem too open to altering that. But with the Dane's return, it could pave the way for a change to a 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 set-up.
The 30-year-old would smoothly slot in a midfield three, offering creativity to the likely partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min up front. This would still leave two central midfield spots for the likes of Tielemans and the current Spurs midfielders.
The change in formation could also help with Tottenham's current problem of creativity, as they have had no shots on target in their last two matches. There is still a problem in some games of making that link between Spurs' defensive and offensive play, which an altered set-up could help solve.
Bringing in both Tielemans and Eriksen, Conte could look to utilise both formations and create more fluidity within the Tottenham side. Time will tell if both, or either players are targeted by Paratici and if either of them make the move to Spurs, it will be interesting to see what changes the 52-year-old makes.
