Let's Test Harry Redknapp's Theory Of A Better Team Post Luka Modric

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp believes that the sale of Luka Modric would finance the Club's ability to sign three or four new players. The commentators on this site have speculated on the ability of Spurs to actually sign said players and about the feasibility of bringing in that number of quality players for the £27 million we'll raise from the sale of Modric.

So, I have taken it upon myself to find a way to purchase 3 "quality players" for the £27 million from Luka's sale plus the £8ish million we have from the sales of Jamie O'Hara and Robbie Keane. Based on that I have £35 million with which to buy three players. That's not bad. I'll try to use prices quoted in transfer rumors so they're at least semi-legitimate.

First we need to determine the Club's need. I think I speak for all of us when I saw we need a striker, a central midfielder (to replace Luka), and a center defender. I won't be taking in any players on loan, meaning I won't be considering Emmanuel Adebayor. Let's have some fun!

FC Twente striker/winger Bryan Ruiz has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. His cost is approximately £13 million. I'm not convinced of his ability to play as a lone striker, which is what we desperately need. He would definitely be an asset to the club as a support striker, but I'm not sure he can play as a traditional number 9. I'd love to add Leandro Daimao, but I think his cost has reached the point where it is prohibitive to Spurs signing him and I don't see him joining immediately. Additionally, players like Hulk, Radamel Falcao, Guiseppe Rossi, and Pablo Osvaldo are out because they would eat up my whole budget.

So for striker I'm forced to "settle" for Ruiz. He'll certainly make the team better, if only because he's an improvement over Robbie Keane. He's not the loan striker that Spurs fans covet, but we can still probably grab Adebayor on loan and if that's the case then our strike force is suddenly much better, at least on paper.

Central defense is my next priority. Stuttgart defender Serdar Tasci has been linked with a move to North London on several occasions and his price, £10 million, is certainly affordable given his quality. The 24 year-old German international would make an excellent back-up to our current top pairing of William Gallas and Michael Dawson with a view towards replacing Gallas somewhere down the road.

So, we've spent £23 million of our £35 million. That's pretty good, right? I was only planning on spending £8 million on for a replacement to Modric. Granted that still doesn't leave us with enough money to buy someone like Lassanna Diarra, but it doesn't leave us with enough to buy a player for the future, someone who can come in and in a year or so fill the void left by Modric. This obviously isn't ideal, but given the constraints it's really the best possible scenario.

We're not going to be able to afford a player like Paulo Henrique Ganso, Eden Hazard, or probably even Milan Badelj. But, the player I think we can afford is Hoffenheim's Gylfi Sigurdsson. The 21 year-old Iceland international has experience playing in England, albeit most of it at or below the Championship level, but last year he moved to the Bundesliga and he starred. The youngster scored 10 goals in 31 games last year for Hoffenheim. I think this might use up most of the £12 million I have left, but if you've got it you might as well spend it.

So, there you have it. Ruiz, Tasci, and Sigurdsson all brought in for around £35 million. Not a bad haul and one that would certainly make the club better. What are your thoughts? What three players would you target?