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Manchester United’s mega spend is likely to kick into the next gear over the coming weeks, with Louis van Gaal now officially at Old Trafford following his World Cup duties with the Netherlands.

£60m has already been spent to add Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw to the Red Devils’ squad, and Angel di Maria is thought to be one of the next names on LVG’s hit list. The Argentine helped to fire his nation to the final in Brazil, slotting in well alongside Gonzalo Higuain and Lionel Messi to help create a fearsome attacking set-up.

But despite his form for country and club of late, Real Madrid are thought to be willing to sell for the right price. United, here are six reasons di Maria is the player needed…

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON THE MAN HIMSELF TO REVEAL THE SIX REASONS

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Price

It’s not often world class players are available for £40m, but according to rumours, that is what Real are asking for for di Maria. With United possessing a transfer budget of up to £200m, the funds are firmly in place to snap up the attacker, making this deal a tempting one for van Gaal.

Creativity

The stats tell the full story here with di Maria, so lake a look…

Di Maria topped La Liga’s assist rankings as Real finished the season third, thriving in a central role for the latter half o the campaign between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also averaged almost three key passes per game while drawing in numerous fouls to win set-pieces. A useful player to have!  

Goals

Seven goals across the season last term may not have been prolific form, but through his career di Maria has shown that he can stick the ball in the back of the net when needed. His game is not all about scoring, but it’s a handy trait to have as an attack-minded star… //www.youtube.com/embed/UY9nmZopDhM

Marquee factor

After a woeful season and two signings that cannot be put in the ‘blockbuster’ category, United need something, or someone, to announce their arrival back at the very top. As a seasoned pro with bags of potential and class, di Maria could be the answer. At around £40m from one the world’s best teams after an impressive summer for his country, snapping up the 26-year-old would send a message to all others in the Premier League.

Big game mentality

Big games define seasons, and di Maria has a pretty decent record in showpiece clashes. United are sure to have a number of ‘crunch ties’ next term despite being out of Europe, and it will be up to big players to decide the outcome.

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As di Maria proved against Switzerland in extra-time at the World Cup, he can keep his cool on the biggest stage.

Keep him away from rivals

If United don’t sign di Maria, chances are someone else will. Arsenal have been linked with the Argentine, while Liverpool may swoop as they plot to replace Luis Suarez. Chelsea have a habit of coming in for the biggest names, as do Manchester City, then there is also outside interest from Tottenham – who have been aligned with the player in the past.

If di Maria moves to a rival, it could indirectly weaken United.

Manchester United’s 2-1 loss at home to Swansea on the weekend provided a much-needed reminder of how poor the current squad at Old Trafford is. Many of us have been caught up in the whirlwind following Louis van Gaal’s arrival, and were thus quick to forget how much was needed to improve the squad.

What is clear is that the team need additions at centre-back and central midfield. Another forward, either a striker or wide player, wouldn’t go amiss either.

For much of 2014, Ed Woodward has talked up United’s spending ability this summer, but thus far the only deals completed have been for Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, two good additions but clearly not enough.

With two weeks remaining in the transfer window, United will need to move through the gears quickly in order to make up for the lack of quality in the squad.

Here’s a look at five players United should target before the deadline.

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Angel Di Maria

PSG appear out of the running for Angel Di Maria, with the Parisians unable to move any of their high earners off the books and raise funds for a move for the Argentine.

But that does open the door for Man United, who are short of world-class players for the wide positions. Louis van Gaal may lean on the 3-5-2 formation, but the Dutchman is likely to move to something resembling a 4-3-3 as well.

Di Maria, however, is able to play centrally in the midfield, after being successfully converted by Carlo Ancelotti. One way or another, the Argentine would offer a significant upgrade in multiple positions at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid are said to be asking for well over £50 million, but United can’t afford to look past players of this quality.

Juan Cuadrado

Juan Cuadrado was one of the standout attackers in Serie A last season, leading to plenty of interest from Barcelona this summer. It was said the Catalans were looking to the Colombian international to replace Dani Alves, who as yet has been unable to find a club willing to match his wage demands.

But Cuadrado would be an excellent signing for Manchester United, able to play as a forward in a 4-3-3 formation or as a wing-back.

The Colombian has expressed his desire to leave Fiorentina and could yet make the move away if United match the Italian club’s valuation.

Daley Blind

Ajax will be well aware that they’ll be unable to keep Daley Blind for long into the future, and a transfer away may yet take place this summer.

Blind caught the eye with his performances for Holland at the World Cup, and, able to play in multiple defensive positions, would address a number of weaknesses in the United squad.

Blind has long looked one of the most obvious signings for Louis van Gaal. With so much pressure on United to buy, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Blind arrived at Old Trafford before the transfer deadline.

Standing out as one of the best players in Dutch football last season, there are few doubting that Blind would be a great player for United for many years to come.

Mehdi Benatia

Mehdi Benatia is a reported target for a number of major clubs across Europe, with Bayern Munich in need of another defender following the injury to Javi Martinez.

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But Manchester United would prove to be a better destination for the Roma centre-back, who would undoubtedly be a starter at Old Trafford. Benatia was comfortably the best defender in Serie A last season and would greatly improve Louis van Gaal’s defence.

Roma have previously stated it would cost around €60 million to land the centre-back, but even if the club are willing to move on that price, United should be well-equipped to get a deal done.

Sami Khedira

Real Madrid are said to be keen to offload Sami Khedira this summer, so is there any reason Manchester United aren’t in the mix?

The club desperately need another midfielder, and preferably one able to play a defensive role. Having already signed Ander Herrera, the club would do well to offer the Spaniard the partner that would allow him to flourish at Old Trafford.

Khedira is reportedly available for a knockdown price, and with clubs around Europe yet to pull the trigger on a deal, United should hold no reservations about entering the race for the German international.

I cannot stress the importance of Arsenal signing a holding midfielder this summer if they intend to challenge for next season’s Premier League title.

£37million signing Alexis Sanchez possesses the ability to become a talisman for the Gunners and has made an enormous statement of their revived pulling power in the transfer market. Right-back Mathieu Debuchy and goalkeeper David Ospina are strong additions too, whilst former Southampton youngster Calum Chambers is an impressive long-term investment.

But their potential to awaken the north Londoners from their dormant state in the English title race will always be capped without a player who can bring structure, physicality and defensive awareness to Arsenal’s midfield.

Last season, Arsene Wenger’s side claimed just six points against top five opposition and lost all of their four away fixtures with an aggregate score of 20-4. Three of the contests, against Liverpool, City and Chelsea, were over within the first half hour. That is evidence enough that, even if Arsenal can carve up the Premier League’s rank-and-file sides with their definitive brand of one-touch football, their balance against high-quality opposition must change.

Simply put, the Gunners are far too vulnerable on the counter-attack and this weakness has become dangerously obvious over the past few seasons. Divisional rivals know how to get a result against them; it does not take particular planning or tactical ingenuity.  Signing a holding midfielder might not be the ultimate solution – Arsenal’s progressive philosophy will always leave them inevitably more open than the average Premier League side – but it would certainly be a step in the right direction, and evidence Wenger is taking his club’s title ambitions seriously.

Wenger has been rather ambiguous when quizzed on the matter of a defensive midfielder this summer, distancing himself from rumours and even alleging the role may go to Jack Wilshere. But it could be an effort to save face, with all his likely transfer targets seemingly only moving further away from an Emirates switch.

Sami Khedira’s wage demands are unjustifiable for the north London club, Morgan Schneiderlin was allegedly on the verge of rejecting Arsenal for Tottenham before Southampton declared that the Frenchman would not be sold this summer, 22 year-old  William Carvalho could set the club back in excess of £30million and Lars Bender, well, Lars Bender hasn’t been mentioned in the same breath as Arsenal since mid-July.

It’s time to think further afield, and in that regard I suggest Arsenal turn their attentions to midfield monolith Steven N’Zonzi, who rather conveniently has handed in a transfer request for the second summer in a row at Stoke City. Clearly his ambitions are set a little higher than the Potteries.

Don’t let mid-table snobbery cloud your judgement. Admittedly, the 25 year-old is no world-beater and a lack of experience in European football, compared to Arsenal’s other aforementioned targets, is a major disadvantage.

But N’Zonzi’s progression since first joining the Premier League in 2009 has been continuous and promising. He won the Player of the Year award during his first season at Blackburn Rovers, remaining ever-present in the side for the next two campaigns as relegation continually threatened, before being named the Young Player of the Year during his inaugural term with the Potters, having swapped Ewood Park for the Britannia Stadium in summer 2012.

The 6 foot 4 midfielder is aggressive, brutish and often disobedient; in April 2011, he received a four-match ban for a two-footed lunge on Laurent Koscielney, and has overall amassed 31 yellow cards in 157 appearances throughout his Premier League career.

But the Frenchman is not simply a shin-crusher designed to intimidate the opposition – although I do feel that Arsenal’s collective mentality would benefit from an injection of such ruthlessness. Rather, N’Zonzi was at the heart of Stoke’s transition towards a more eye-catching style of football last season that earned Mark Hughes critical redemption from his sorry stay at QPR.

He averaged 57 passes per match last year – more than any player on the Potters roster – and boasted a pass completion rate of 87%. More than a water carrier however, 63% of N’Zonzi’s passes were forward, averaging just under one key pass per match. Those statistics are slightly lesser than Mikel Arteta’s – understandably considering the Spaniard’s undisputed technical quality – but exceed Jack Wilshere’s on all fronts with the exception of the latter. It’s also a better passing rate than Everton’s Gareth Barry and Newcastle’s Cheik Tiote, who have both been linked with Emirates moves before.

Moreover, N’zonzi’s height and strength bring something completely different to Arsenal’s engine room. With the exception of Aaron Ramsey, none of Arsenal’s midfielders measure above six foot and none come anywhere close to the Stoke star’s two aerial duels won per-match  last term. Wilshere, comparatively once again due to the high possibility that he could be utilised as the Gunners’ deepest-lying midfielder next season, won just four aerial duels throughout the entirety of the 2013/14 campaign.

I’m not attempting to suggest N’Zonzi is the ideal acquisition to maintain the theme of Arsenal’s technical midfield. Just like the many, many defensive midfielders mooted as potential Gunners targets over the last few years, he can easily be accused of cumbersomeness.

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But the stats, in addition to the Frenchman’s role in Stoke City’s recent transition, show that the 25 year-old is capable of lending himself to that style of play, keeping tidy in possession and plugging up gaps in front of the back four. And clearly an ambitious character, N’Zonzi strikes as a player who could undergo enormous, rapid improvement if he were surrounded by greater quality.

N’Zonzi’s name may not be eye-catching in comparison to some of the other defensive midfielders linked with Arsenal this summer. But do not let that fool you – he’s productive in possession, resilient in defence, physically assertive, has Premier League experience and in my opinion, the potential for further growth is as large as his towering 6 foot 4 frame.

Likely available for a figure around the £10million mark, the Stoke City midfielder could prove to be a real coup for the North Londoners.

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After missing out on Arturo Vidal over the summer, Manchester United are almost certain to dip their toes back into the transfer market in January to solve the issues facing Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman’s side’s midfield appears to be weak in comparison to the club’s rivals’ efforts, with a lack or energy and guile worrying for a side with top four ambitions.

Fredy Guarin is the latest name to be aligned with Old Trafford in the gossip columns, with Inter Milan rumoured to be ready to sell their man at a discounted fee. So, would the deal make sense for United? We think so, and here are FIVE reasons why.

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CLICK ON THE MAN HIMSELF TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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No energy in midfield

The one major criticism levelled at Manchester United over the course of the past year and a bit has been the lack of any sort of presence in midfield. Although the Red Devils’ porous defence has grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons, the absence of energy in front of them has often left them completely exposed to quick counter attacks.

Guarin is a player with bags of oomph, and could be the man to inject some much-needed life into Louis van Gaal’s engine room.

Blind is not a holding midfielder

Although a decent passer of the ball and a player with obvious composure, Blind is not a holding midfielder. The Dutchman emerged in the position last season at Ajax after being moved centrally from his left-back role, but impressive displays in Holland don’t always transfer across the North Sea to England. Blind would perhaps be more useful back in his natural position or in a similar role to Ander Herrera, where his range of passing could be used more effectively without the pressure of shielding his defenders.

He can score!

//www.youtube.com/embed/4mLC2_c6qFw

Even though United have bucket loads of attacking potential from the likes of Angel di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie, more goals from a deeper position would be useful. As the video above shows, Guarin is pretty handy in front of the oppositions’ net, with his composure and power useful traits.

Cheaper than Vidal or Strootman

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While money is seemingly no issue for United right now, United could, perhaps, do with a cut-price option to free up funds for the pursuit of a genuine top class centre-back. Talk over the summer suggested that Chelsea had all but agreed a £12.5m deal for the Colombian, with such a figure a bargain for a player of Guarin’s experience and quality.

Man United cannot afford to be tardy

Simply put, if United want to secure a Champions League return, failings in the transfer market cannot be repeated. The Red Devils’ late deals for Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao had a whiff of desperation about them, with the pair having not been linked with the club for much of the summer. As other targets moved elsewhere or ruled out move, the duo became the focus for United.

So, getting in a player early in January to solve a problem area makes sense, right? Yes.

There’s nothing quite like a Premier League Boxing Day clash – filled with all the intensity you’d expect from your standard English top flight fixture, yet further enriched by the festive atmosphere, the chilly weather and of course, the odd player that’s clearly helped himself to a few too many mince pies and mulled wines the night before.

The clash between Manchester United and Newcastle on December 26th is arguably the pick of the afternoon, with 13 of the last 16 Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford producing three goals or more.

Red Devils fans will have full confidence in their home advantage, having won seven of their last eight matches at Old Trafford. But contests of such festive feistiness are often decided by who dominates the individual battles, so with that in mind, here’s a list of FIVE that could determine the outcome on Boxing Day.

JAK ALNWICK VS THE WORLD

Spare a thought for Newcastle United’s 21 year-old third-choice goalie Jak Alnwick. He was the hero of the hour when coming on for the injured Rob Elliot in a shock 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Chelsea, but has since gone on to concede nine goals in just three games.

And things won’t be any easier against Manchester United; their world-class attacking cast are extremely clinical, with a shooting accuracy of 48% and scoring one goal every 2.7 efforts on target this season.

Newcastle’s defence isn’t the best – in fact, it’s the second worst in the Premier League’s top half in terms of goals conceded, after Liverpool’s – so Alnwick shouldn’t expect particular heroics from those in front of him.

Indeed, if the Magpies are to get anything from United’s visit, Alnwick will need to be in superfluous form.

Wayne Rooney vs Moussa Sissoko

With Wayne Rooney retaining his central midfield role from United’s last two Premier League outings, it looks set to be a battle of the forward-thinking powerhouses when the Red Devils skipper locks horns with Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.

Both are industrious, progressive attackers who will look to make bursting runs from deep positions to instigate attacks.

In terms of output, the Frenchman can leave a lot to be desired, whilst Rooney’s quality in scoring and creating situations is well known.

Yet, Sissoko’s a potent weapon on the counter-attack when facing heavyweight opponents through his strength and pace – as proved against Chelsea and Manchester City this season, where he picked up a goal and an assist respectively.

Should Wazza Roo suffer from lapses of positional ill-discipline due to his unfamiliarity in the middle of the park, the Newcastle midfielder will be quick to take advantage.

JUAN MATA VS CHEICK TIOTE

Rooney’s push into deeper midfield may not be ideal for Manchester United, but it does present them the opportunity to get Juan Mata and the England skipper into the same starting XI and perhaps more importantly, in his most effective capacity at No.10.

Despite struggling for a regular first team role since his £37million move last January, the former two-time Chelsea Player of the Year boasts a respectable eleven goals and six assists in 29 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils, including a return of five goals in 14 outings this season.

Fortunately for Newcastle however, in Cheick Tiote they claim one of the Premier League’s top holding midfielders, that many of the bigger English clubs would love to get their hands on.

Mata can often find himself outmuscled in the central attacking hub so the Ivory Coast international’s physical presence could be enough to nullify the Spaniard’s creative threat.

That being said, only Crystal Palace’s Maourane Chamakh commits more fouls per match than Tiote in the Premier League right now, and Manchester United are more than capable of hurting the Magpies from set pieces – Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata are all prolific from dead ball situations.

DARYL JAANMAT VS ASHLEY YOUNG

Make no mistake, Ashley Young has found a new lease of life as Manchester United’s emergency left wing-back this season, averaging an impressive 1.6 tackles, 2.3 interceptions, 1.5 dribbles and 1.3 accurate crosses per match.

If we were to flip that proverbial coin however, one could easily argue this is a fantastic opportunity that the rest of the Premier League has failed to exploit – the 29 year-old isn’t a natural defender by any stretch of the imagination and at some point, inevitably, that will let him down.

Thus, continuous bombardment down the right flank could be the Magpies’ route to success against United.

Daryl Janmaat’s endured a mixed start to his Newcastle career but few would dispute that the Netherlands international is far better going forward than towards his own goal, having already notched up three assists this term.

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Whether Remy Cabella or Yoan Gouffran start on the right on Boxing Day, Janmaat needs to be in close support to double-up on Young as much as possible.

He’ll understand the ins and outs of Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 system better than any Newcastle player too, having excelled in the same formation under the United gaffer’s leadership during Oranje’s World Cup campaign.

AYOZE PEREZ VS UNITED’S BACK THREE

In a similar fashion to Ashley Young, United’s defensive situation is hardly ideal. Chris Smalling could return to the starting XI pending a late fitness test, but it looks set to be the same line up, of Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans that endured a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Evans has really struggled in wide centre-half roles this season whilst Carrick, although tall and anticipatory, isn’t a defender at all.

Resultantly, Newcastle front-man Ayoze Perez might fancy his chances of capitalising upon the chaotic unfamiliarity of United’s three-man defense on Boxing Day.

The youthful Spaniard reportedly rejected offers from Real Madrid and Barcelona to move to Tyneside this summer and he’s already living up to the hype, with four goals in just eight Premier League starts.

He’s netted just once since early November but a huge talent capable of providing moments of individual magic, the 21 year-old is the kind of player who will relish facing the 13-time Premier League champions.

On the surface, at least, Alexis Sanchez appeared to be a quintessential wide forward at Barcelona. Just like those who have shared that wide forward role- Pedro, Neymar, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Ibrahim Affelay and a range of others – there’s an almost obligatory task to take up when placed either side of Lionel Messi.

For the most part, in a conventional 4-3-3, they’d essentially be wide-strikers. Messi, as a false nine, would drop deep into midfield pulling defences into self implosion, leaving space for wide runners to exploit in behind. Alas, those range of wide players that Sanchez was categorised under had quite a simply function.

Press well off the ball, run in behind, and maintain the technical passing meticulously that any Barcelona player has to adhere to. Simple. Sanchez demonstrated those qualities with a superlative ease. He’s devastatingly quick, explosive in short spaces, and deadly in front of goal. You wouldn’t have classed him as a creator in any stretch of the imagination – he was a finisher. The creation was left to that trio of wonderfully adept technicians operating in the middle- Sergio Busquets, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta.

And yet for all of those pre-ordained assumptions, Sanchez, away from the shackles of that super effective Barcelona machine, has proven what a fantastically complete package he is.

This isn’t a comment on his goals, it’s more on what he offers to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in a holistic way. Like we all expected, Sanchez has predominantly been used in that wide forward role, although not in quite the extreme manner that he was used to at Barcelona. Instead, his role is more reserved. Although that’s not really saying much in comparison to what was expected of him there, in that he comes deeper into midfield to get the ball, and maintains a defensive responsibility in monitoring opposition full backs.

Sanchez, whether as a result of instructions of Wenger or not, has successfully challenged the perceptions of his one-dimension nature and shown that he can operate wherever Wenger wants him. This isn’t an athletic wide poacher at all, but an individual who can fulfil a range of needs.

The stats support that notion to a staggering effect, too. As well as being Arsenal’s top goalscorer, he’s also got double the amount of assists of any of their players (6), averages the most amount of key passes per game (2.7), draws the most amount of fouls (2.2), and manages the most of shots per game (3.2). He’s scored headers, and has slotted home some incredible free kicks. This Chilean truly has it all. And then some.

While in many cases statistics of that nature can be manipulated and interpreted in differing ways, it’s unusual to see a player of any nature dominate every single offensive measurement to that extent. Sanchez is seemingly Arsenal’s best attacking player from whichever angle you analyse him from.

And that exceptional form seems to be highlighting a wider trend, that of top Premier players failing to make an impact at top La Liga teams. Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas, Luis Suarez, Alex Song and Sanchez have all appeared to be better players in the Premier League than in La Liga. If that trend continues, don’t be surprised to see an influx of La Liga superstars migrating to England to kick start their careers.

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Sanchez has shown that there’s far greater glory to be found as a main man in England as opposed to a peripheral figure in Spain. Given the chance and the platform, he’s shown what a quite complete player he really is.

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Despite Danny Rose recently admitting that he feels like he’s nowhere near to being called up to the England squad, the Tottenham Hotspur left-back has vastly improved under Mauricio Pochettino this season, and a national call-up may not be as far away as Rose thinks.

The former England U21 international, who was first called up to Roy Hodgson’s senior squad in August 2014, has yet to earn a senior cap for his country. Since then, Rose has had to forget about national duty and concentrate on stamping down a starting place in Pochettino’s first XI – as well as watching on to see a whole host of exciting English left-back’s seemingly pushing him further down the pecking order for an international call-up.

The Spurs defender somewhat surprisingly told the Evening Standard: “I’m going to be honest, I don’t see myself anywhere near the international squads.

“It’s just how it is. Leighton Baines is quite rightly the first choice, then Ryan Bertrand is doing very well at Southampton. Kieran Gibbs and Luke Shaw are ahead of me, too, and I’m a big fan of Aaron Cresswell at West Ham.”

It doesn’t happen too often in football where a professional player talks himself down quite like that, but at least he’s honest, and in the meantime, he’s been getting his head down and turning his attention to his form for his club. Rose has made 25 league and cup appearances for the Lilywhites thus far, and finds himself ahead of summer signing Ben Davies for the first choice left-back position at White Hart Lane at present.

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Rose may have been at Tottenham since signing as a 17-year-old from Leeds United in 2007, but despite being at the Lane for quite a lengthy period of time, the defender has only made 58 Premier League appearances for the club, and has found himself being loaned out on numerous occasions.

But this season, Rose’s energetic and stalwart performances at the back for Tottenham, have seen him rightly lock down a starting berth of late, and his recent excellent displays haven’t gone unnoticed. As well as scoring Spurs’ first goal on their road to recovery against West Ham on Sunday, Rose has put in some dominant displays recently and made the left-back position his own.

During his time at White Hart Lane, the full-back has divided opinion amongst Tottenham fans – many believe he’s far more effective going forward than he is defensively and, to be fair, it’s hard to disagree with them. There’s no doubt about it, the Spurs No. 3 loves to get up the pitch, but this term, he’s been a lot more focused on his defensive duties.

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Once Ben Davies has had a full-season at Spurs, Rose is going to have to up his game even further to keep his starting place. But the ex-Leeds youngster has at least proved to the Tottenham faithful that he’s more than just an average defender who loves to go forward – he’s shown this season, that he’s ever-improving, a lot more consistent, and he’s slowly but surely turning himself into a more than capable left-back.

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Less than a month ago the January transfer window slammed (it never merely closes) shut, yet the talk of moves, deals and big money signings has already got going ahead of the summer’s addition of the merry-go-round. As ever, Arsenal are a side in the headlines when it comes to talented stars, with a certain Jackson Martinez thought to be a £29.5m target for Arsene Wenger.

The Colombia international has been talked about for some time and tipped to make the trip to England on many occasions, but this year could be the one in which we finally get to see if he can cut it in the Premier League. We at FFC Towers believe he has what it takes and that Arsenal should take the plunge.

Here are FIVE reasons why…

Goals, goals, GOALS

Right, there’s no other way to go about this than with pure number crunching…

With 62 goals in 80 appearances for Porto since his 2012 move, Martinez registers 1.29 strikes per game, which he then couples with 10 in 35 for Colombia – almost a record of one in three. Wow! Further to this, he notched a goal every other game for Mexican side Chiapas, and scored 55 times for home nation side Independiente Medellin, which is impressive considering he broke through at the club.

The leap from Portuguese football to England is a massive one, but such numbers suggest that he has what it takes to do so.

Ideally suited to the Premier League

“Top physical strengths, hugely efficient, he is the kind of player who can make room for himself in the box.

“He could play in the Premier League because he has the body to make the difference. He uses it in a very intelligent way. Very short back lift and he’s a very good finisher.”

The words of no less than Wenger himself in relation to Martinez. With a fair amount of time managing in the Premier League – we can barely time without the Frenchman on the sidelines – it’s fair to say that he knows what he’s talking about. Wenger has managed the likes of Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord, Robin van Persie and Nicolas Anelka, among others, so his word that Martinez has what it takes really does carry some weight.

Porto’s record of nurturing top strikers

In recent seasons Porto have signed and nurtured the likes of Hulk, Radamel Falcao and Benni McCarthy as orthodox strikers and have also overseen the rise of attacking talents such as James Rodriguez, Fredy Guarin and Joao Moutinho. Not a bad little list there, then! The Portuguese giants are renowned for their scouting system across the globe, and the successes of such players since moves away from the Estadio do Dragao shows the conveyor belt brings results.

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In his prime

At 28, Martinez may not be a long-term addition, but in terms of making an instant impact, he’s at the ideal age. Strikers, typically, peak in their late 20s, which puts the Colombian firmly at the top of his powers, which he has illustrated at Porto. The reported fee needed for the prolific marksman may be a high one, but goals win games, and Arsenal need to keep firing to stay in the money-spinning realm of the Champions League.

Beat Premier League rivals to him

Not the bedrock of the most sustainable transfer model, but moving for Martinez will keep rivals from strengthening with his addition. Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs have all been linked with the goal-getter in recent times, and with the Premier League’s new TV deal set to boost everyone’s coffers, the trio can certainly afford raids.

It’s hard to pick yourself up from defeat. When you’ve lost everything and you need to carry on fighting meaningless battles just to fulfil your obligations.

That’s the problem facing Spurs just at the minute.

They were dumped out of the FA Cup, experienced heartbreak for their young stars in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley, suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Fiorentina in the Europa League and now they’re in stuck in a limbo between the mid table teams and the Champions League chasers. They’re trapped in the Europa League no-mans-land – and that’s only if they can overhaul Southampton above them.

But that’s Spurs’ own fault, really. They’ve relied too much on Harry Kane at one end and Hugo Lloris at the other.

Kane’s goals kept Spurs within touching distance of fourth place until their defeat to Manchester United, and Lloris has cemented his place as one of the top goalkeepers in the country.

But despite the doom and gloom of the moment, Spurs have some good things to take from this season.

Kane and Lloris are two, but the emergence of other youngsters like Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb have been others. And although they haven’t been able to turn Spurs into a Champions League team this season, they will surely represent a core of players that Spurs can rely on going forward.

What they need to do now is strengthen around that core. Because they really do need to strengthen.

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They haven’t been good enough this season for a top four finish, and that shows that they need a better squad. Partly this will come from the experience the young players have gained this season, making them better players. And partly this will have to come from summer spending too.

Spurs have scored fewer goals than the teams in the top four, but crucially they’ve conceded a tonne of goals too. They’ve scored more goals than both Liverpool and Southampton, but they’ve conceded more than double what Saints have. Pochettino may have jumped ship, but his new vessel is a much leakier one.

In fact, only the bottom three, Newcastle and Sunderland have conceded more goals than Spurs.

So if summer spending is what’s going to push them to the next level, Spurs should start by spending on defenders. Although their lack of goals in comparison with the top four is worrying to a certain extent, they have a goalscorer in Harry Kane to put away the chances they do create. They also have Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela, who have been poor this season – or at least in the second half of the season. But they are two players who have lots of quality on their best days. The problem is, they don’t have that many best days.

They are two players who have been in the Premier League for two seasons now, so they should be acclimatised. They have no excuses for poor performances, really. But Pochettino might give them another season to find form. Eriksen has looked dangerous in fits and starts, and Lamela looked in the first few games of this season like he was going to show English football why he cost so much money and came with such fanfare. But he fizzled out surprisingly quickly. Since the turn of the year, the pair have chipped in with a miserly two goals and one assist in the league between them.

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They’re two players who can provide goals and assists if they’re on form, and clearly they haven’t been this season. But if Pochettino can get them firing next season, the squad will be strengthened immeasurably. It would be like having two new signings.

So perhaps Pochettino can afford to give his attack another year to prove their worth to him, but he doesn’t have that luxury with the defence. They’ve conceded too many goals and that’s why they are where they are.

This season is dead for Spurs, but they need to seriously look at the squad and assess the weak points, and that surely has to mean bringing in a new defender.

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Manchester United hero Phil Neville believes that his old side will sign a top quality striker this summer, and he sees Spurs’ Harry Kane as an ideal fit.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a stunning 2014/15 campaign in which he rose from being a back-up man at White Hart Lane to the Lilywhites’ key centre-forward and a goalscoring England international.

In total he notched a whopping 31 goals across the campaign just gone, and is set to star for England’s U-21 team in the coming months in European Championship action.

WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Latest transfer news

His performances and amazing rise are understood to have alerted United, with reports claiming that Louis van Gaal is ready to dedicate up to £50m of his substantial transfer budget to getting Kane to Old Trafford.

And Neville thinks that the youngster would be the perfect fit at his old club:

“He would cost a lot of money and I’m sure Tottenham don’t want to lose him, but I think being in the Champions League, United have got Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and James Wilson, so they probably do need one more striker,” he is quoted by Goal.

“I think United will sign a quality player from European football, whether that’s England or abroad and he fits that bill and if they can get Harry Kane here then that would be a fantastic signing

“I’m a big fan of Harry Kane, he’s got a great attitude, nothing seems to faze him and he’s answered every question that’s been thrown his way.

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“The team has always had a backbone of British players and I think that’s still important that you do get British players and the spine of the team has got that British feel.”

Kane has recently played down speculation surrounding his future, insisting that he’s happy in North London.

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