Tottenham Transfer Window Verdict

Spurs Could Have Done Better

Emmanuel Adebayor - Spurs new signing

The teacher in me reckons that an end of transfer window report on the transfer dealings of Tottenham Hotspur's Messrs. Levy and Redknapp must record, 'Could have done better.'

Three months of reported negotiations to strengthen the team while retaining our best players and releasing some of those who have for some time been surplus to requirement, have resulted in the signing of a forty year old goalkeeper on a free transfer, the acquisition of a striker on loan who has the potential be a great success at the club or rather troublesome and the final day signature of a midfield player whom we could have signed at the very start of the summer for more or less the same fee.

Retaining Players
The club has done exceptionally well to retain the best players  - Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart, but in particular Modric in whom there has been summer-long speculation that he would eventually join Chelsea who persisted with offers right up to the end when they made an exceptional offer of £40 million.  In spite of Daniel Levy's statement to rebuff the first enquiry from Chelsea, by clearly spelling out that he was not for sale at any price, many in the media and among fans felt it was the usual strategy to try to push up the price and that when an acceptable offer was made that like Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov before him, Modric would be off to the club of his choice.

Matters became more difficult with Modric not playing at Old Trafford or in the Europa League games and according to manager, Harry Redknapp, he requested that he should not play against Manchester City.  This was refused although it is questionable how effective the player actually was during the hour he was on the pitch.  Having retained Modric, it is up to the management to do whatever it takes to ensure that he is a fully committed member to the team in the coming weeks and that he isn't a dissatisfied player going through the motions until the transfer saga can recommence in January.

The club has made a statement on behalf of football that a player who has signed a long contract is expected to fulfil it and that he can't just leave as soon as a 'bigger' club comes knocking.  Certainly Modric has played a major part in assisting the club reach the level they achieved last season with their Champions League experience but the club had invested heavily in the player and helped to raise his profile - a two way self-help arrangement.  To sell Modric would have immediately unsettled the other 'star' players who would have started to think about joining a Champions League club rather than remaining at White Heart Lane with the intention of Tottenham reclaiming that position.

Releasing Players
The departure of a number of squad players was essential as many of them had become 'outsiders' at the club - getting an occasional 'bit' part or going out on loan knowing that they were never going  to achieve anything at Spurs.  Robbie Keane, Alan Hutton, Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch (sold) and Jermaine Jenas  and David Bentley (on loan) have all seen new players arrive at the club to play in their positions so they knew that the opportunity of them getting into the team was even more unlikely.  For their own professional standing it was time to move on and have a fresh start at a club where they would be given an opportunity to play regularly and advance their careers.  This now frees up more places in the 25-man squad for younger players to gain experience and develop their careers.

Signing Players
For the past three Transfer Windows, Spurs have reportedly been after a goal scoring striker but have again failed to achieve this aim.  Many names have been mooted - Forlan, Rossi, Huntelaar among them with reported interest and offers refused - and once again come the end of the window none of these players has come to the club and in all reality never looked likely to either.  Emmanuel Adebayor has been acquired on loan from Manchester City for the season to replace Peter Crouch as a striker who can lead the line and link effectively with the other players.  He certainly can score goals as he has often shown when playing against Spurs but another proven striker would have been a great asset to the club as Jeramin Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko were so out of sorts last year where goal scoring was concerned.  Lack of goals was the one reason why Spurs failed to hold on to fourth place in the Premier League last season and so relinquished the coveted Champions League place.  In early spring they were in a very strong position to capture that spot but failed dismally in the final months of the season through lack of goals.  One can take the view that international standard strikers can not be as bad this year as they were last but we had that hope throughout last season and unfortunately they didn't show any improvement.

This season has started disappointingly with defensive frailties surfacing and with the continued absence of Ledley King and William Gallas through injury which is now affecting both of them on a regular basis, the reasons for attempting to sign Gary Cahill from Bolton in the final days of August were obvious.  However, it wasn't completed as the clubs couldn't agree on a fee.  With the lack of spending in the transfer window, along with the bonus from last season's Champions League and the fees acquired from the sale of four players and reduced salary bill, surely Tottenham could have gone that extra bit to sign a player with Premier League experience who undoubtedly would have strengthened the team.

The constant attempt to strike a last minute bargain signing is not always the best for the well-being of the team and on this occasion too many deals were left to the final day for completion, when we were told that work had been on-going throughout the summer to bring in the players who were needed at the club.  Sometimes a last minute signing can be a success but on other occasions it can simply be a panic acquisition to appease everyone.

Tottenham could come to regret their reluctance to spend big on even one player especially when both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and belatedly Arsenal have used the summer to strengthen their teams, while a number of other clubs, Stoke and Queen's park Rangers, have invested in the transfer market in the final days.  Tottenham have not really shown the ambition required to achieve great things this season, it's more a case of playing it safe which could lead to another year outside Champions League qualification and another window focused on retaining players rather than improvement and advancement.

Tottenham Continue to Talk Tough Over Modric

Luka Modric is NOT for Sale!

Luka Modric - Transfer Struggle

The Luka Modric saga has dragged on all summer since he made it known in a newspaper interview just before the end of the season that he might be open to a transfer for the advancement of his career by playing Champions League football.  It wasn't a direct, forceful comment about wanting to leave Tottenham but it had the desired effect among interested clubs.  From the outset Tottenham have made it clear that the player is NOT for sale but that has not put off either the player, his agent or interested clubs, particularly Chelsea. 
  
However, Tottenham have previous in this field so this has probably encouraged continuing interest in Modric.  Daniel Levy, the club Chairman, issued a very strong statement of his intent to keep Modric at the club but he has also done this before with Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov who eventually left the club and joined Manchester United when an acceptable offer was made.  Many thought he was employing the same tactic to increase the transfer fee and would then succomb when it became obvious that the player was becoming a distraction at the club.  However, this year knowing that Modric signed a six year contract with the club last summer he as rejected increasing offers from Chelsea and maintained his stance that he will not sell the player. 

So with the new season two weeks old there is an increasing impasse - Modric has not played in either of the club's competitive matches - he was either injured with a slight strain or in the words of Harry Redknapp, 'His head wasn't in it.'

Tottenham play Hearts in the Europa League but he is unlikely to play in that as they have a five goal lead and it would cup-tie him for other Europen competitions so they are looking to introduce him to the team for the vital game on Sunday against Manchester City.  Spurs can't afford another heavy defeat on top of their loss at Old Trafford so they are increasing the pressure on Modric by taking a tough stance on his availability for international duty with Croatia next week.

They are quite correctly taking the view that if Modric isn't fit enough to play against City then he certainly won't be able to play for his country in the European Championship qualifying games.

With Spurs increasing injury problems in midfield it is vital that they have every available player on the field.  It is only ten days ago that Redknapp when commenting on the injuries to Wilson Palacios, Sandro, Tom Huddlestone  and Jermaine Jenas - he was contemplating devising a system with only one midfield player as Luka Modric was the only one who was fit at the time.  Now that the season has started Modric has developed a convenient 'injury'.

Tottenham have taken a firm stance on this throughout and with a week to go to the close of the 'Transfer Window' they are hoping to sign a number of new players but they are also hoping to retain the services of their most skilful midfield player, Luka Modric.  Most fans will support the club in this matter, fearing that if the player goes the club will once again be regarded as a selling club or a 'feeder' club for the 'top 4' teams.  To sell the player at this late time would do a dis-service to Harry Redknapp because there would be no time to replace a quality player like Modric.  Such a move is unthinkable and Danile Levy would lose ace on this matter and any credibility that he had and his future comments  would never be taken seriously.

An interesting few days lie ahead to see who holds firm the Chairman or the player.

Tottenham's Pre-Season in South Africa.

Saturday, 16th July: Tottenham 0 Kaiser Chiefs 1
Tuesday, 19th July:  Tottenham 1 Orlando Pirates 1

Gareth Bale a constant threat
fot Tottenham

The early pre-season games are all about players getting some match time and building up their fitness but Spurs first two matches in the Vodacom Challenge in South Africa have also shown that Tottenham's problems from last season have not gone away.

No Goal Strikers:
The strikers remain unable to score or even create a goal-scoring opportunity for themselves.  The performances of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko have all been very poor - their first touch is heavy, they can neither beat a man with pace or skill, their link-up play is non-existantand and throughout the two games not one of them has looked like scoring a goal.  The nearest any of them has come to putting the ball in the net was Crouch's header that was well saved by the Kaiser Chief's goalkeeper.


Conceding Goals:
Once again Spurs have illustrated their inability to keep a clean sheet.  On Saturday, a late breakaway from a Spurs' corner saw them concede an injury time goal to lose the match.  In the second game Brad Friedel flapped at a shot with his right hand in Gomesesque style at the end of the first half and only succeeded in waving it into the net to present the Pirates with an equaliser. The rampaging fullback had hit a powerful shot but Friedel should have done so much better.  Spurs don't need another flapping goalkeeper.  On Saturday Cudicini didn't look overly confident or impressive in nets and we've Gomes to come on Saturday.

Reliant on VDV and Bale:
Both games, once again, clearly illustrated that without Bale and Van der Vaart this Spurs team would be lacking any attacking threat.  Bale was a threat on the left in both games, looking to score and also create for others.  Van der Vaart was less creative but scored the goal against the Pirates from a free kick on the edge to the penalty area, lifting the ball over the defensive wall and into the goal.  Without this threat Spurs would be toothless.  Modric, in spite of the transfer rumours, played with enthusiasm and show wonderful passing as he created space for others, changing the direction od the play.  He was captain for the game and showed no signs of being disinterested or not wanting to be involved.

Shop Window Players:
The players who are surplus to Spurs requirements and are in the transfer window haven'y done anything in the two games to attract buyers or to persuade Harry Redknapp that they deserve another chance to establish themselves at White Hart Lane.  The list is long - Robbie Keane, David Bentley, Alan Hutton, Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlychenko, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Bassong and Jermain Jenas.  Not all of those players will be leaving but in order to create room for new signings in the 25-man Premier League squad, some of them will be off to new clubs before the beginning of September but on their preformances from last year and now in pre-season, it could be difficult to move them on.  Their performances have been lack-lustre and wouldn't be encouraging to any prospective buying club, their wages are high and Totenham are looking to recoup considerable fees for them - all of which is delaying the selling process.

Pre-season has not brought anything to encourage Spurs supporters - there has been no new signings to improve the quality in the squad and to rectify the obvious deficiencies in the team, transfer rumours persist about Luka Modric and the early games have not brought any joy.  The best performances have again come from Bale but others need to raise their game while Kyle Walker looked accomplished as he attacked from right back in the second half against the Pirates. 

It will be interesting to see who comes and who goes in the next four weeks leading up to the opening Premier League game against Everton at White Hart Lane on 13th August and most importantly who makes the team for that vital match.