Transfer windows are as much about cleaning out deadwood as they are about bringing in big names, and it appears Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is keen to do just that in the coming months. Today, three stars in the news are rumoured to be leaving north London soon.

First up we have Pascal Chimbonda and the long-running interest from Chelsea, who are apparently still keen to sign the Spurs full-back (The People). This one has been going on for a long time now but it seems that next month a firm bid will be made for the French international, who is clearly the type of player who will leave at a moment's notice if he feels it will serve his career to move. I think Wigan fans learned this the hard way.

Clearly the Stamford Bridge outfit can afford to pay the Frenchman more if needs be, so I think Ramos will let him leave should a decent offer come in. Spurs are thought be demanding at least £10m.

Next up we have Tom Huddlestone, whose stuttering career at White Hart Lane appears doomed to end sooner rather than later. The 21-year-old hasn’t secured a Premier League start under Ramos and now it has been reported that he may be heading back to Derby County (The Sun).

The ‘Hudd’ is a player with great potential who has yet to really do the business for Tottenham on a regular basis. No offence to the Rams, but I don’t see the England Under-21 star leaving to join a side more than likely heading for the Championship - even at a cut-price £5m. Maybe a loan move would suit all parties; he could try to help his old side to beat the drop and should this prove fruitless, he could return to Spurs and try to make Ramos resognise his talents.

Finally, we have keeper Paul Robinson, who has come in for a great deal of stick in recent months and has lost his England place in the process. Now it seems that Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to bring the former Leeds United man to Manchester City (The People).

It could be that Robinson wants a new challenge so this could well happen. A fee of around £10m has been mentioned and that seems reasonable when you consider other goalkeeper fees in recent months. Robinson, 28, is a quality keeper but equally there is no doubt he has issues with confidence and once that starts to spiral, more errors occur. I think Ramos is looking to totally change the set-up at Spurs so this is a move I think is a distinct possibility.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez appears to be confident of clinching the signing of  Racing Santander defender Ezequiel Garay (The People). The £10m deal could go through as early as next month but, as with many other Anfield transfer targets, this is very much dependent on how much cash the club's American owners are willing give Rafa. So the deal may not be as sound as Benitez feels it is.

Arsenal’s recent signing Lassana Diarra has been moaning again - and this time it seems that Arsene Wenger has deemed it as one moan to many and will look to offload the former Chelsea man (various). Apparently Tottenham have been considering making a move for the 22-year-old.

Says Diarra: "We're halfway through December and I've decided I want to leave Arsenal. The bottom line is the coach doesn't need me. They don't want me. I don't understand, because I've got more value in the French national team. When I signed for Arsenal I was made promises by the people who recruited me. But since the start of the season the only matches I've been involved in have been low-key, and to be honest I'm getting fed up with it!” (L'Equipe).

Many teams have also reportedly shown interest and these include West Ham, Manchester City and Celtic. They may find it tough going to keep Diarra satisfied, though -  and it may not be worth all the irritation!