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Aug 8, 1 hour ago
Tottenham under prepared for new season ?
The Premier League starts in ten days and as it stands Tottenham Hotspur look decidedly unprepared for the new campaign.
They have certainly added some quality, bringing in Jan Vertonghen to replace the creaking Ledley King, and signing Gylfi Sigurdsson who will undoubtedly offer a cutting edge. However it is when looking at the strikers the club has available that concerns appear. The official Spurs website lists just Jermaine Defoe and Giovani Dos Santos as centre forwards.
Jermaine Defoe endured a difficult campaign last season, falling out of favour with Harry Redknapp. With Villas-Boas being a man that favours the 4-3-3 formation, one does wonder how much game time he really intends to give to Defoe. The England international has had his best spells when playing as the foil for a big man such as Peter Crouch. Defoe, who has also been linked with a move to QPR appears to have already passed his peak.
Then there is Dos Santos. In the words of the Spurs site “So skilful on his day, ‘Gio’ has found chances limited during his time at Spurs”. Zero league goals in 15 games spread over the 4 seasons suggest that Dos Santos’ day hasn’t occurred for quite a while. Even the laughing stock that is Marouane Chamakh managed one last season for their North London neighbours.
Suddenly the crowing from last season of Spurs fans that Arsenal had an over reliance on one striker for their goals seem somewhat ironic.
Optimistic fans would point to the potential arrival of Adebayor as a reason to be cheerful. But what should have been a straightforward signing has been complicated by Adebayor’s wage demands and Tottenham’s wage structure. The Togo man also has a tendency to go missing, for example he went through a streak of 8 league games last season without a goal. And how can Spurs build a team for the future around a man who is generally “not here for a long time, here for a good time” as 80s legends Huey Lewis and The News so aptly put it. Even if Spurs do sign Adebayor, then having Defoe as backup would mean a complete shift in approach when rotating forwards.
Other glass half full fans would point to the impending sale of Luca Modric as reasons to be cheerful. But one look at the situation Arsenal found themselves in last summer should act as a warning sign to Tottenham. With an embarrassment of riches Real Madrid do not need Modric, and will be prepared to play a waiting game to drive down the price in the same way that Emirates Marketing Project did for Samir Nasri last summer. And assuming he does go, that leaves Spurs with a nice pot of money, but precious little time to spend it. And a host of clubs who know that they are flush and will be looking to get their hands on as much of the Modric cash as possible. Deadline day could be a more stressful experience then previously, especially now Harry Redknapp is not around to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.
A quick glance at the summer business of those who finished below Tottenham should be a cause for concern. Liverpool look better prepared with Borini on board, Chelsea have added some serious talent and Saudi Sportswashing Machine have retained their potent strikeforce. Every point will be crucial in the race for the Champions League. With Spurs kicking off their campaign up against the Toon Army, they have precious little time to get their house in order, otherwise the Villas-Boas ‘project’ could come off the rails before it has even begun.
One thing is certain. The English press will not be giving Redknapp’s successor a particularly long honeymoon period given their affection for ‘Arry. And poor dealings in the transfer window will be just the ammunition required.