So, Miroslav Klose and Ruud Van Nistelrooy will become available for free at the end of the season. Tottenham, as they always are, have been linked with both of these players. Sure, this could be just another rumour-mill story where Tottenham are linked to add a bit of spice to the story. But realistically, should Harry Redknapp seek the transfer for one of these strikers in the summer?

Ideally, Spurs need a striker who can play in a 4-5-1 formation. But any experienced striker would not go amiss. Tottenham create enough chances, and just need someone to convert the simple ones. It is all well and good having a player like Jermain Defoe who can lash it in from the top of the box, but his composure in front of goal is much to be desired; he has shown this on more than one occasion this year.

Klose, 32, is a proven goal scorer at international level; 61 goals in 107 games. For his country he has scored countless times with his head. He would certainly be a more attacking target man than Peter Crouch. But he has not been prolific in domestic competition for the last two years. He has not been a regular in the starting line-up at Bayern Munich in this time and has only scored 4 Bundesliga goals, despite featuring in more than 30 games.

Van Nistelrooy, 34, on the other hand, has scored 11 Bundesliga goals in the last two years. He does not start every game either but it appears he is a more effective goal scorer as a substitute than Klose. He still has the knack for being in the right place at the right time and the composure in front of goal that Tottenham have lacked at times. But at 34 he is fairly old and unlikely to be able to start every game.

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Both strikers are old and probably past their best. That doesn’t mean they would not be useful for a season or two. Klose might better fit the formation, but Van Nistelrooy is a more proven goal scorer. Importantly, Klose has not agreed a new contract with Bayern because he is not getting regular first team football. On the other hand, Van Nistelrooy has said he would be content to play on the bench. With this in mind I would choose the Dutchman over the German.

Just because these strikers will be available on a free transfer does not mean it would be excellent business. The problem is, both players are likely to ask for hefty wages at around 70k a week. Tottenham have a wage cap in place that stipulates only a certain amount can be spent on wages each season. In January, Harry said Tottenham could not get Rossi, Aguero or Forlan because they could not afford the wages. Surely the goal for Tottenham has to be to get and Aguero or a Rossi ahead of a van Nistelrooy or a Klose?

Is it worth using £70,000 of the wage budget on a golden oldie at the expense of getting that world-class striker who is going to want 100,000 a week? I think not.

If Tottenham can secure the signature of a top-class striker, and have a player like van Nistelrooy as well, they would be in dream land. But given Tottenham’s previous inability to afford high wages, I think this unlikely. A player like van Nistelrooy would be a great squad player to have at Spurs, but I think he would be an expensive squad player and a luxury that Tottenham could not afford.

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