Tottenham’s hopes of Champions League qualification were all but ended last weekend as they slumped to another disappointing defeat, this time at the hands of Aston Villa. The 1-0 loss leaves them seven points off fourth place, and despite a promising start to the campaign it looks like another frustrating finish will see them end up in the Europa League at best.

In form Villa forward Christian Benteke scored the only goal of the game, as he netted for the third league match in succession. The Belgian has gone a long way in helping secure the Premier League future of the club and once again will no doubt be linked with a move to a bigger club in the summer.

Spurs are one team that have been linked with a move for Benteke for a while now, and Saturday’s game highlighted just how useful he would be were he to seal a switch to White Hart Lane.

The rise of Harry Kane has been a huge plus point for Spurs this season, and at times he has single handedly won them games. 29 goals has seen him emerge as a contender for the Premier League’s player of the season, and rightly so.

But apart from Kane, the rest of the Spurs strike force has failed to make a significant contribution to their quest for Champions League football. Both Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado have struggled for form, and with a lack of goals and first-team opportunities their time at Tottenham looks to be coming to an end this summer.

Mauricio Pochettino will have prioritised signing a new striker this summer, and Benteke is the type of player that would fit the bill perfectly.

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At 24-years-of-age he has established himself as one of the division’s top strikers and he will be eager to test himself at a club with European credentials sooner rather than later. The Belgian has hit eight goals in his last six league games, including a hat-trick against QPR a week ago.

His power, pace and strength would be hugely welcome at Spurs and there’s certainly great potential of a partnership between him and Kane that would really improve the team.

Benteke has shown he can score a variety of goals from both inside and outside the box. His strength in the air will help fill the void left by Adebayor who was a significant part of the team before Pochettino’s arrival but has since fallen out of favour. And his finishing ability means he will have a far bigger impact than Soldado has had since he joined Spurs.

Missing out on the Champions League may have damaged their chances of signing some of their summer targets but as a step up from Villa, it’s unlikely to have put Benteke off taking the next step in his career. You’d expect him to play regularly with little competition from others in the squad, and with Harry Kane playing just behind him, he looks like an ideal signing for Spurs going forward into next season.

Villa will no doubt do all they can to hold onto him but may find it hard to decline a large offer from Tottenham should they meet their valuation. It looks set to be a busy summer at White Hart Lane, and Benteke is one man they should be doing their up-most to sign.

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