Cambridge United are closing in on a deal for former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jon Obika, as reported by Cambridge Live.

The forward has been on trial at the Abbey Stadium after failing to earn a deal in a similar spell with Stevenage earlier in the summer. He spent six years with Spurs, playing just twice, before moving down the divisions.

He's also played for Millwall, Brighton, Yeovil and Charlton, but appeared most consistently for Swindon Town in a 102 game spell in which he bagged 28 goals.

That earned him a move to Oxford, where he appeared 57 times in two seasons, scoring just eight goals. He was released at the end of last season.

Cambridge went into their last pre-season fixture with just one fit striker on their books, veteran Jabo Ibhere. That's prompted manager Colin Calderwood to step up his efforts to add to his squad, with Obika one of two forwards on trial.

The other is Rangers youngster Andrew Dallas, another player the U's are hoping to secure for the coming season. When quizzed about whether he was aiming to tie either down to a deal, Calderwood replied; "Certainly both,"

"In our circumstances, if we weren’t in a situation where we could do something, we wouldn’t have persevered with them."

The Verdict

It has to be said that Obika has struggled since leaving Spurs. He hasn't been able to transfer that illustrious upbringing into goals, nor a regular place in a Football League team.

Cambridge struggled last season and Colin Calderwood will be hoping to put that right, but they won't do it without goals. Ibhere isn't getting any younger and his input last season was much less impressive than in previous years at Carlisle.

If Obika does secure a deal it will be the first football he's played outside the top three levels of the English game. At 28-years-old, time is running out for him to make his mark and perhaps the lower level will finally bring him a regular flow of goals.