Tottenham Transfer Rumor Tuesday: Fourth Seems Out Of Reach, Now What?

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Cartilage Free Captain! Since I always see a few FanPosts and Fanshots dedicated to various transfer rumors I've decided to use this space to address the various rumors floating around and maybe even create a few of my own. As a guy with a journalism degree I'm always blown away by how different the standard for the profession is in Europe. It's like they just pick names out of hats and then print it. My goal is to show how realistic or unrealistic these rumors are. Since I play tons of Football Manager this should be easy, right? Now hopefully Tuesdays will give everyone something to look forward to!

Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of a top four finish seem to be fading fast. With just five games left to play Spurs sit four points behind Manchester City and even though the two clubs still have to play each other, it still seems like a long shot for Tottenham to pip City for fourth.

While the season is winding down, the rumor mill is just getting started. We're all aware, by now, that Tottenham Hotspur will be linked with every player ever to play the game of football over the course of the next few months. These rumors will give us great hope at times, but at others will be utterly maddening. So let's have some fun with this!

#WeNeedaStriker: Ah yes, a refrain heard so often here at Cartilage Free Captain and no doubt among Spurs fans everywhere. Everyone knows that Tottenham Hotspur need a striker and I would expect that any agent worth his salt would make sure that Tottenham Hotspur are linked with their client in order to drive up the price. In the last week Tottenham have been linked with Diego Milito, Dimitar Berbatov, and Didier Drogba (Links are here, here, and here).

Each of those three links are utterly ridiculous as there's simply no way we can afford the wages on a player the caliber of either of those three. I would love to have all of them, maybe not Drogba who strikes me as a bit of an ass, but the other two sure. The common thread here is that these are all veterans who seem to be available for cheap. Yes, they're world class, but how much longer do they have to perform at that level?

Where Gareth is Going This Week: I'm positive that this is going to be the rumor that is going to make me the most angry all summer. I fully expect either Harry Redknapp or Daniel Levy to punch a journalist after they are asked about Gareth Bale's future for the 576,234th time. This week Gareth seems to be headed to either Inter Milan or Chelsea. I can't see Levy selling to another Premier League so that'd we'd have to face him twice a year. I don't think Bale is leaving, but if Inter or some other foreign club want to pay £50 million for him then I say let them.

Players That Harry Redknapp Loves: Stop me if you've hear this one before: Tottenham Hotspur been linked with Joe Cole. It's well documented that Harry Redknapp loves him some Joe Cole and it's equally well documented that Kenny Daglish does not. The player who was available for FREE last summer may now be bought for £10 million. Sounds like a good deal, right? To be honest I'm not sure how Cole would fit into the squad. We have plenty of good wingers. Maybe he's cover for Rafael Van der Vaart. I don't see Cole joining unless one of Spurs' big names leaves.

This Week's Most Ridiculous Rumor: Tottenham Hotspur need a right back, correct? Guess, who just happens to have one they're looking to offload, Arsenal. That's right Tottenham have been linked with Emmanuel Eboue. I think we can all agree that this is exactly what Tottenham need. A right back that's not as good as Alan Hutton. I think this is perfect, unless, of course, Pascal Chimbonda becomes available again.

Player We're Not Linked With But Should Be: I'm not going to pick a striker here, because I don't think there are any strikers left that we haven't been linked with. I'm going with a defender. Benfica's Fabio Coentrao, to be exact. Coentrao is a left back, and occasional left winger. The 23 year old Portugese defender is a target for a number of other teams, but would be a huge get for Spurs. He's likely to be expensive though (Benfica seem to want £26 million). That probably prices us out of the market for him, though he would be great addition to the squad.

Player We're Most Likely to Actually Buy...This Week: I'm tempted to say Joe Cole here, but I just really don't see that happening. I'm going to go with Manchester City's Shay Given. Don't be surprised if I list a Manchester City player here every week. They want to continue to add to the squad, which means they'll have to offload some players, potentially at very low prices. Carlo Cudicini is out of contract after this year and Stipe Pletikosa will probably return to Spartak Moscow leaving Spurs with a need for cover at the goalkeeping position. Given is very good and could potentially push Gomes for the number one spot.