Five striker options for Tottenham Hotspur

Having secured the services of Paulinho from Corinthians, Tottenham Hotspur have a potentially strong midfield trio in place for next season. The Brazilian international is likely to slot in alongside his compatriot Sandro and Moussa Dembele.

However, the striking options at White Hart Lane now need attending to. On too many occasions during last campaign Spurs were toothless up front, which was seen as a major reason behind their failure to secure Champions League football.

While Jermain Defoe notched 11 goals in the Premier League, he had a barren run of 12 matches without a goal at one stage. Emmanuel Adebayor was even less potent, scoring just five in the top flight.

Both centre-forwards have been linked with moves away this summer, meaning that Spurs would need at least two frontmen to replace them. Here, Sports Mole has compiled a list of five players who could fit the bill.

Stefan Kiessling, Bayer Leverkusen

Who scored the most goals in the Bundesliga last year? Robert Lewandowski, surely? Wrong. Mario Madzukic? No. It was in fact Leverkusen striker Kiessling. The 6'3" frontman plundered in 25 goals from 34 outings to help his side qualify for Europe's top competition.

He provides a physical presence which at times has seen opposition teams attempt to double up on him in a bid to nullify his threat.

At 29, he is his peak years as a striker. Financially it may not be the best move for Spurs because there is little chance of making a profit, but the former German international could still potentially have four or five years at the very top.

Roberto Soldado, Valencia

Recent reports have claimed that Valencia would demand £25m before they even consider parting with their Spanish international striker.

Realistically, though, those in the know believe that he could be recruited for half that price, particularly because his current employers need some hard funds to ease their financial problems.

In a side that operated below most people's expectations last term, Soldado was still able to score 30 goals in all competitions.

He is not also a centre-forward who is content just to sit in the penalty area and wait for his teammates to lay chances on a plate for him. The 28-year-old is mobile and will work hard to regain possession for his team.

Mario Gomez, Bayern Munich

When Gomez takes a glance inside his trophy cabinet, he will see medals from last season's Bundesliga, German Cup and the Champions League. However, deep down the German international will know that his role in securing those was not an influential one.

He picked up an injury last summer and then was forced to watch on as Mandzukic took to life with the Bavarians like a duck to water.

Once he had recovered, he flitted in and out and was often handed opportunities when Mandzukic required a rest ahead of a big fixture.

There was once talk that he would cost a potential suitor £30m having scored 80 goals in the two previous seasons, but after he spent a lot of the campaign twiddling his thumbs, that valuation will have dropped.

He has recently been linked with Fiorentina, but surely a move to Spurs would be more appealing?

Christian Benteke, Aston Villa

Had Paul Lambert not taken a £7m gamble on an unknown Belgian last year, his Villa side would be kicking off in the Championship next month.

Benteke showed maturity beyond his 22 years to fire in 19 goals in the Premier League and a further four more in other tournaments.

In a similar way to Kiessling, Benteke is a powerful striker who can hold up the ball and bring his teammates into play. He is also a threat from corners and free kicks when the ball is hoisted into the area.

His tender age would also suggest that there is plenty more to come from him over the coming seasons.

Burak Yilmaz, Galatasaray

There are few strikers in Europe at this present moment in time who possess more power than 27-year-old Yilmaz.

He's not just a brute force, though. In 132 outings for Trabzonspor and Galatasaray in the last three seasons, he has found the net a highly impressive 90 times.

The Turkish international also showed that he can produce the goods on club football's biggest stage, that is, the Champions League. His eight goals were seen as a major reason as to why Gala reached the quarter-finals.

What makes him even more appealing is the fact that he is content to play as a lone striker should his manager opt for a 4-5-1 formation.