Tottenham want to sign a forward who can play alongside Harry Kane rather than just act as his understudy.

Spurs are keen to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes on February 1, with Saido Berahino, the West Brom forward, and Moussa Dembele of Fulham among their targets.

Kane and Berahino shared a good understanding when playing together for England Under-21s, while Dembele and Ross McCormack have scored 26 goals between them for Fulham this season.

Pochettino has used a 4 2-3-1 system in the vast majority of his 85 matches as Tottenham head coach, but asked whether he would be willing to change, he told Standard Sport: “If you have two unbelievable strikers, then I am not stupid. Why not [play them together]?

“When you have good players, you can’t put them on the bench. The good players always need to be on the pitch.

“When I was at Southampton we played with three strikers in some games - Rickie Lambert, Dani Osvaldo and Jay Rodriguez.

"They pressed a lot, worked a lot. You can adapt your system or your philosophy to the players you have.”

After tying Dele Alli to a new five year contract yesterday, the club are likely to make a new deal for Kane their next priority. The England forward earns about £50,000 a week and can expect to be elevated into the top-earning bracket at White Hart Lane, which is £65-75,000 a week.

If Pochettino guides Tottenham to a top-four finish this season, he is likely to attract interest from more powerful clubs - but he says he is in it for the long haul at White Hart Lane after signing a five-year contract in May 2014.

“We have an exciting project and we show our commitment to the club every day,” he said. “The players can see in the last 18 months that we have created something special in the team.”

Midfielder Mousa Dembele is available again for tonight’s game against Leicester after recovering from the groin injury that has kept him out of the last two matches.