Harry Redknapp wants to sign four proven players to bolster a Spurs side he describes as desperately short of numbers.

With the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Burnley next Tuesday, Redknapp has been juggling his players to cope with a schedule of four games in 12 days that has led to players without squad numbers at the start of the season being utilised.

In the 3-1 FA Cup win over Wigan yesterday, Darren Bent picked up a groin injury to become the latest fitness concern.

"Everyone fit was involved," Redknapp said. "The players cast aside at the start of the season made up most of the bench so God knows how the club would have survived if I hadn't brought them back in.

"There is such a shortage here. In terms of quality, there are 40 or 50 that have dinner every day but there are only about 14 or 15 who can play in the Premier League.

"When I was at Portsmouth last year we had 10 good defenders and eight central midfielders for three positions. That is the strength we had and here it is completely the opposite.

"We need three or four players."

Redknapp is interested in Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe, West Ham's Craig Bellamy and Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing but there have been no agreements with the clubs.

Bayern Munich's Lukas Podolski has also claimed interest from Spurs, with Redknapp looking for players to ease his selection worries.

Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Jermaine Jenas (calf) missed the Wigan win, Ledley King (knee) cannot play matches in quick succession, Giovani dos Santos (ankle) is out of favour and only just back in training, while Alan Hutton (foot) is out for the season.

It means in training matches coach Tim Sherwood often joins in to make up the numbers.

But Redknapp's problems are not confined to the treatment room as he feels the fans' negative reaction to Hossam Ghaly and Gilberto means they cannot play.

"We've got two fit strikers and two players who can't play because the crowd don't like them," Redknapp added. "Apart from that we're not too bad."

Even Redknapp's players want arrivals to bolster competition - rather than a guaranteed place every week - to help the club climb from 16th in the Barclays Premier League.

"You have to keep on buying as a club - we are not different to the rest of the league," said defender Jonathan Woodgate.

"We want to stay in the league. At the moment we are in a relegation battle and we all know that, so if we beef up the squad then the more the better.

"We need competition. There's nothing better than when you are fighting for your place - it's the best thing. If we get a few in that will help as well."

Redknapp at least has options on where to play Luka Modric following the Wigan win.

He felt the Croatia playmaker could only be accommodated in a five-man midfield but is now prepared to field him in an orthodox role.

"I started him in a basic 4-4-2 as a central midfielder, which I hadn't done before," he said. "It was a gamble but he showed enough against West Brom when we went down to 10 men.

"I dropped him into midfield and it worked well, so let's see if he can play in a two-man central midfield. (Didier) Zokora around you gives protection by covering ground.

"Modric is so good on the ball, I don't see any reason why he can't play for us."