5. Fabio Coentrao
After predecessor Andre Villas-Boas allowed Benoit Assou-Ekotto join Queens Park Rangers on loan over the summer, Tim Sherwood has been left with just Danny Rose as the only out-and-out left-back at the club. This is something that needs to be addressed by the new boss in January, as Sherwood cannot afford to rely on one left-back to get him through his debut season at the helm if he is to enjoy any sort of success. One player who could help the Englishman get through this current shortage is Fabio Coentrao, the defender and one-time Manchester United target who is endowed with versatility and could improve Spurs in more areas than his position implies. Able to operate as a left winger and occasionally in defensive midfield, Coentrao's signing would give Tottenham more width and also more steel in the defensive areas - something the Lilywhites badly need right now having shipped 11 goals against top four rivals Manchester City and Liverpool this season. The Portuguese international is on the fringes at current club Real Madrid, having only made four La Liga appearances this season and is very much up for grabs.
Joseph Dempsey
Contributor
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
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