Tottenham Hotspur are running out of time to make something of the 2025/26 campaign, with Thomas Frank's side's confident Champions League efforts masking dismal domestic form that threatens all.
While Spurs are within climbing distance of the European positions in the Premier League, their form has been well below the expected standard this season, with only two wins across their past 14 league outings.
The current crop have enough about them to produce more convincing performances and results over the business months of the season, but there's no question that a bit of help before the transfer window closes wouldn't go amiss.
Where Spurs plan to strengthen before transfer deadline
Conor Gallagher was once described as being "like a machine" of a midfielder by Chelsea's Moises Caicedo, the Three Lions star's former teammate marvelling at his energy and intensity.
Gallagher adds dynamism and a multi-faceted approach to his Frank's midfield, but Spurs continue to toil in attack, and while Dominic Solanke's return to fitness and goalscoring form eases the need for a new centre-forward, creativity and pace are in short supply down the flanks.
After all, Brennan Johnson was sold at the start of the month, and Mohammed Kudus won't return from injury until after the March international break.
According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham are among the clubs to have enquired about the availability of Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz, but they have met Aston Villa and Newcastle in the waiting room, along with further foreign suitors, and thus must put their all into convincing the Moroccan to join their cause.
The 24-year-old is not getting regular minutes under Los Blancos coach Alvaro Arbeloa, so with the player's representatives sounding out options, the dynamic attacking midfielder is one to keep an eye on over the next few days.
Recent reports have suggested that any successful bid for Diaz would need to fall into the ballpark of £52m.
What Brahim Diaz would bring to Spurs
Diaz once plied his youthful trade with Manchester City, but he only featured 15 times for the first team before being sold to Real Madrid in a deal rising to £22m in January 2019.
Since then, he has played 141 times for the Spanish superpower, winning the Champions League and two La Liga titles. Moreover, he spent three years on loan with AC Milan between 2020 and 2023, and it was there that he was hailed as a "joy to watch" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Italian football expert Mina Rzouki has waxed lyrical about the fleet-footed winger's technical ability, and while he has struggled for consistent minutes in the Spanish capital, that is hardly a slight against his skill and potential yet to be tapped into.
Indeed, having only started three times in La Liga and once more on the continent this season, it's clear that Diaz needs a change of scenery, with his opportunities indeed dwindling since Xabi Alonso parted with Real Madrid one month ago.
Diaz is nothing if not versatile, and that is more fuel for the argument that he would be an invaluable addition to a Spurs side lacking dimensions in attack.
Such fluidity. With Kudus out injured, Diaz can offer support on the right. But he can also play from the left, sharing out the goals and assists as he works on creating a tactical relationship with the newly-signed Souza.
He may not feature centrally all that often, but the fact that he can do so, as a number ten or even in a makeshift centre-forward berth, is incredibly attractive for Frank as he works toward realising his vision in north London.
With all this in mind, the Real Madrid man may really secure himself a successful future in Tottenham's starting line-up. He knows the Premier League and has only come on leaps and bounds in the years since leaving.
Gallagher is shoring up Spurs' midfield, but they need an exciting profile such as this to return to form and create the kind of run that will see Frank keep his seat in the dugout.