There is just a week left of the January transfer window and Fabio Paratici has been told what he should prioritise for Antonio Conte at Tottenham.
The Italian ended his nine game unbeaten run in the Premier League with Spurs, after another defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Despite being two points off fourth place Man United with two games in hand, the Lilywhites are currently seventh in the table and need some fresh faces to help them improve.
A number of players have been linked with a move to N17, which football.london have been reporting, with the likes of Adama Traore, Weston McKennie and Franck Kessie all seeming to be targets.
Ahead of the third London derby of the month, Conte explained his aims for the season.
"In this season my ambition is to try to help the club," he admitted in his pre match press conference. "This is my best ambition, to try to help the club, to help the team to improve to get the best result possible.
"I don’t know what result is possible but for sure we’ll give 100 per cent to get the best out of my players and to try do our best in a difficult league."
After the defeat to Thomas Tuchel's side, the Italian gave a very honest verdict: "To lose three games in 14 days means they are much stronger than you, as a team and as a squad."
Tottenham struggled to break down the Chelsea side and only managed six shots, three on target and 35 per cent possession, with the display showing the gap between the two sides.
After the Lilywhites' sixth defeat of the season, Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp both gave their verdicts on Tottenham's final week in the January transfer window.
"He needs to get players in quickly - two, three, four players in the window, he’s got [a week] to do it," Redknapp explained.
"Daniel Levy is a difficult man, he was a difficult man to deal with as a player, he’s a difficult man for managers to deal with but if you don’t back him I just get the feeling, given his history at Inter Milan, I think he’ll leave the club because you can’t promise and then not deliver."
The pundits both agreed that Spurs are lacking quality in the depth of their squad, which was largely seen when they effectively started the game at Stamford Bridge with six defenders and two defensively minded midfielders.
When Keane was asked what one area he believes Spurs need to strengthen, his response was, "Just the one area?" followed by a long pause.
This indicates just how much work there is to do at Tottenham, to help them bridge the gap in quality between them and the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
However, both Redknapp and Keane did agree on the one area they would aim to improve in the final week of the transfer window.
"Probably someone in the middle of the park," Keane said. "Someone with real quality. Someone who’s got creativity. I think the middle, I think they’re short in there."
"When you haven’t got Son or Kane, you feel like they’re a bit light in that area," Redknapp admitted. "[Lucas] Moura does it in bits and pieces, I don’t think he’s ever over a long period of time been the answer.
"It’s not easy but that’s why you pay the director of football for. That’s what you pay the big money for these people to get you these players in but I do agree with Roy.
"They do need an outstanding midfielder. Somebody that can run the game for the middle of the park."
There have been some improvements seen in the performances of the likes of Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks in the middle of the field, but they still don't provide the level of creativity needed for Conte's side.
With Tottenham currently without European football, way out of the title race and out of the Carabao Cup, Keane also pointed out that they may struggle to attract the required players.
"What top players are going to go to Spurs?" he explained. "Particularly in January or in the summer if they don’t get in the Champions League.
"The manager might be an attraction but he’ll be into the last year of his contract, that’s if he’s still there, so there’s a big dilemma."
There are some big decisions to be made in the final week of the winter window and it could be a key time to help Spurs climb the table in the final months of the season.
