By Mohammed Allie in Kumasi.

Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly on the hunt for South African striker Shaun Bartlett, as they look to solve their goalscoring problems.

The north London club contacted Bartlett's advisers before the African Cup of Nations, to discuss a possible transfer from his Swiss club FC Zurich.

Spurs have struggled up front all season - Les Ferdinand is ruled out with a long-term injury and Steffen Iversen and Chris Armstrong have failed to find the net with any regularity.

Bartlett is believed to have attracted the interest of Spurs when they saw him in action for Zurich against fellow Premiership side Newcastle United in the Uefa Cup last year.

The player himself, though, who leads the Cup of Nations scoring chart with four goals, is refusing to get carried away with speculation of a big money move.

"I know there has been contact with my agents but I'm not taking it seriously at the moment," Bartlett said.

"Last season there was also talk of me going to Italy but it never happened. I don't want to get into a situation where I get my hopes up and then nothing happens. But if a move to Spurs comes off I'll be very happy.

"At the moment though my thoughts are on winning the Nations Cup for Bafana Bafana.

"I remember what a great feeling it was to lift the Cup in 1996 and it is one that I want to experience again."

Graham stands his ground

Tottenham's interest in the 27-year-old striker is likely to intensify after Iversen was stretchered off with an ankle injury against Chelsea last Saturday.

The Norwegian could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines if a scan reveals ligament damage.

But Spurs boss George Graham is becoming increasingly frustrated with what he sees as an obsession among fans and in the media with his inactivity in the transfer market.

"I am sick of being asked when I'm going to sign a striker," Graham said. "It's a waste of time.

"If there was a quality striker available I'd be after him. All I can do is get on with what I'm doing."

In-form frontman

Bartlett's chances of securing a high profile move to the Premiership have been enhanced by his efforts in the Cup of Nations.

He has impressed with his predatory skills, netting four goals in four starts.

His brace against Gabon in Bafana Bafana's first game means he has now scored two goals in an international match on four occasions - but he has yet to bag three in a game.

"I would love nothing better than to score a hat-trick, after having scored two so many times," he said.

Before Bartlett's potential move to Spurs can be realised a few glitches need to be sorted out.

First there is the issue of getting a work permit from the strict English authorities who require non-European citizens to have played in 75% of their country's internationals over the past two years.

The problem for Bartlett is that he was overlooked for Bafana Bafana's previous Nations Cup campaign in Burkina Faso two years ago and has not played regularly for the national side.

The second issue is that when George Graham, was at Leeds, he was not pleased with the frequency with which South African captain Lucas Radebe returned home for for national duty.

If these problems can be overcome Bartlett could follow in the footsteps of his Bafana Bafana team-mate, the Manchester United striker Quinton Fortune, who spent time with the Spurs junior team.