There has not been very much to shout about for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Ange Postecoglou's side are still in three cup competitions, but in the Premier League, they have slipped down to 15th, and unfortunately for the fans, it's a position that accurately reflects the team's performances.
With that said, one of the few positives this season has been how summer signing Dominic Solanke has adapted to life under Postecoglou, as the former Bournemouth ace has already hit double digits for goals and sits second on the club's top scorers list.
However, the problem for the club is that they have nobody to genuinely challenge him for a place in the team, and now he's out injured, they might have to rely on the injury-prone and inconsistent Richarlison for at least "a few weeks."
Fortunately, that may not be the case, as recent reports have linked Spurs with one of the most exciting centre-forwards in the league, a striker who could solve their Solanke problem.
Tottenham target Premier League star
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in Ipswich Town star Liam Delap.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Lilywhites are 'considering a blockbuster move' for the Englishman this month but could be set to face competition from London rivals Chelsea.
However, the report also claims that the Tractor Boys are understandably reluctant to sell their star asset this month and that to get the deal done, the North Londoners would have to make an offer in excess of £40m for a player who cost just £20m in the summer.
It could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line this month, but given Delap's incredible ability and potential, one well worth fighting for, especially as he could also solve their Solanke problem.
Why Spurs should sign Delap
So there are two primary reasons that Spurs should be looking to sign Delap this month, with the first being that he'd be able to solve the club's problem of having no real backup to Solanke.
We say that the Englishman could fulfil this role perfectly as the only other player he might be up against, if he's not sold, would be Richarlison.
The former Everton forward is undoubtedly a talented player, but he's had his fair share of injury problems in North London, and even when he's played, he's not been good enough, as exemplified by his lacklustre haul of 17 goals and nine assists in 75 appearances for the club.
In contrast, the former Manchester City prospect, whom Opta Analyst dubbed a "one-man battering ram", has already racked up a tally of eight goals and two assists in just 22 appearances for Ipswich, which is a frankly sensational return for a relegation-threatened Premier League team.
This astounding rate of return for a newly promoted side leads to the second reason the Lilywhites should be looking to splash the cash on the Winchester-born gem this month: potential.
If the club are going to push ahead with the Postecoglou vision and build a team of young hungry potential superstars for the Australian to develop, then they'll need to have a genuinely special successor in place for when Solanke ends up on the wrong side of 30, and considering he's set to turn 28 this year, that isn't all that far away.
Moreover, with the absurd number of games teams have to play nowadays, there are more than enough minutes to share between both strikers, which could, in turn, help prevent injuries.
Ultimately, Spurs already have a brilliant centre-forward in Solanke, but they need a backup and long-term heir to help Postecoglou's project progress, and the perfect candidate for both of those roles is undoubtedly Delap.