André Villas-Boas has promised a quiet transfer window for Tottenham this January. Daniel Levy took charge of the transfer dealings during the summer rather than handing over the reins to the 35-year-old Villas-Boas. At Chelsea last year, Villas-Boas showed his understanding of the transfer market by bringing in talents such as Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku; these signings parallel Villas-Boas’ philosophy of free flowing football.

Tottenham’s major problems come in the striker department. The misfiring Adebayor is experiencing second season syndrome, which seems to haunt him wherever he goes. Gylfi Sigurdsson hasn’t found his feet in the Tottenham line-up either. He has only been brought on for small cameo appearances when Clint Dempsey needed a rest.

The January transfer market is one that needs to be treated with care; but there are gems out there. One that has been tossed around lately is Wesley Sneijder. The problem with this move is that Sneijder’s wage demands may be too much for Levy to afford. He would also face strong competition from the likes of Manchester United and PSG. Sneijder would be able to slot in behind Jermain Defoe in Villas-Boas’ 4-2-3-1 system. Sneijder would bring more attacking prowess to the middle of the pitch.  His ability to spread the ball would allow him to link up with Moussa Dembélé and keep Tottenham from becoming one-dimensional.

Another name which has been strongly linked with a move away from his club is Fernando Llorente.  Llorente‘s ability to head the ball and draw defenders would be a great foil to Defoe’s clinical finishing.  The build of Llorente will cause Spurs fans to remember the lethal strike partnership of Defoe and Peter Crouch. Llorente’s contract is running out in the Basque country and Bilbao will look to incite a bidding war for his services. Juventus has shown their interest in signing the striker as well as Arsenal.

One option that hasn’t been explored but may have some potential is buying Alexandre Pato. Though Tottenham haven’t been linked with him, there has been speculation that AC Milan are willing to part with him and Robinho in order to bring in Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli. Pato could play as a lone striker or be deployed behind Defoe where he could link up with other world-class players such as Gareth Bale and Moussa Dembélé. One issue may be his wage demands, which are reported to be around the €4 million mark. Pato has been linked with a move to Brazil but I’m sure his head would turn if Tottenham made a bid. He can also link up with his Brazilian national teammate Sandro.

Demba Ba may be the hottest prospect in the January transfer market. His £7 million buyout clause is a source of major speculation. Tottenham may tempt Demba Ba to move to North London with the promise of a starting place in the lineup and a strong potential of Champions League football. He would take the place of Adebayor in the 4-4-2 system. Tottenham would have to manage his pre-existing knee problem but with Adebayor on the bench that wouldn’t be much of a problem.

If Tottenham want to cement their place in the Champions League, they may seriously have to consider dipping into the January transfer market. As Levy has shown in the past he likes to hold dealings off until the last possible minute so expect late bids for the players mentioned above.  All in all, the January transfer market has several gems and for the right price they can have a tremendous impact on Tottenham Hotspur.