Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Mauricio Pochettino is demanding a new spine for his struggling Tottenham team – and the White Hart Lane board want to make it happen in January.

Boss Pochettino has told chairman Daniel Levy, technical director Franco Baldini and new recruitment expert Paul Mitchell that he needs a new centre-back, central midfielder and centre forward if the club are to challenge for a Champions League place in the foreseeable future.

And the Spurs board will back the Argentine, with a net mid-season budget of around £20million, which they hope will be boosted by player sales.

Baldini is attempting to off-load Emmanuel Adebayor, Jan Vertonghen, Aaron Lennon and Mousa Dembele – all players they believe could attract significant fees to fund Pochettino’s re-building job.

(Image: Shaun Botterill)

Spurs sources are adamant that the head coach and board are united in their understanding that the squad needs a major overhaul – after Saturday’s 0-0 home draw with Crystal Palace left them languishing in 10th place.

They realise that the process will take two transfer windows but are expecting major changes, in and out of the Lane, next month.

Pochettino hopes to sign his former Southampton players Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez - with Spurs encouraged by the fact that the Saints have yet to tie French midfield man Schneiderlin to a new contract.

(Image: Getty)

An experienced front-line centre-half is also a priority, with Vertonghen unable to convince the Argentine, and Napoli’s Spain international centre-back Raul Albiol is one ambitious target on their hitlist.

American right-back DeAndre Yedlin will bolster Pochettino’s squad next month, when he joins from Seattle Sounders, have been bought by Spurs in the summer but loaned back to the Major League Soccer club.