It's great being a Spurs fan these days isn't it? Not only are we actually having a modicum of success - and achieving it playing decent football - but it also strikes me that this transfer window is about the most subdued I have experienced in some years. Does this mean that the transitional period is over? Have we finished turning corners? I bloody hope so because we started when Glenda was still in charge!
Anyway, our focus this month is unquestionably on strikers. Pav wants out and who can blame him. The boy is a first class international and is quite rightly getting the hump about permanently warming the bench of a non-champions league club. He's better than that.
Personally, I'm gutted. I like him, I thought his partnership with Defoe a while back showed glimpses of genuine promise - quite frankly I can't believe he's not getting in ahead of Keane at the moment and I suspect he is equally incredulous.
It's a perennial conundrum the 4th striker spot. Even bigger clubs than ours suffer from it (think Tevez). The answer appears to be to employ a has-been on his last legs (Owen), or a hungry youngster happy to bide his time (Sturridge). According to reports we are exploring both these avenues in the form of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Victor Moses.
Ruud was undoubtedly a top, top player™, but this deal makes no sense to me. Can he still cut it in the Premiership? Even if he can, are we really going to get more out of him than just a run in to the end of the season? He'll want some action and I don't see how we can guarantee it. This kind of short-termism has never been Levy's kettle of fish and unless we can pick him up on the cheap and convince him to take £50k a week then it all doesn't add up.
A Moses deal on the other hand has Levy's name written all over it. The boy is 19 and has just received the player of the month award for December. Palace don't want to let him go (a good sign) and other interested parties are quoted as Liverpool, Man City and Barcelona (also a good sign). A price of £4-5 million has been mooted, which seems extraordinarily good value for someone with a reputation like his.
Even if Moses does ok without setting the world on fire his value is likely to virtually double by the end of whatever contract we give him, yet there's also the distinct possibility he will develop into an established Premiership player and maybe even sneak an international cap or two at some point in the next 4 years.
I think it's clear where my preference lies, let's flog Pav for £10-12m, get Moses for a cash-plus-Obika deal and at the same time sweeten the deal by letting them have Dos Santos until the end of the season - everyone's a winner!
However, I suppose the question is, if they play as often as Pav does, does it really even matter who we get???
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9 comments:
I don't think we need a 4th striker, we need a 1st striker. at the moment we have four good strikers but no great ones. Moses would be mad to come to spurs. We have a terrible record of leaving young talent to rot on the bench or loan them out.
Try Jermain Defoe, top goal scorer for most of the season and now joint second. Pretty sure we have one great striker, 2 decent strikers, and Robbie Keane. Get rid of Keane just to cut down on the wages.
Pablo - no great strikers, are you insane? Defoe is in the form of his life and looks genuinely world class.
Using a cricket term Defoe is no more than a 'flat pitch bully'. Useful but no where near world class.
Defoe not proven to be world class yet. His record this season is good so far, but he hasn't hit even 15 league goals in a season yet. He has 14 league goals so far, and so I expect him to finally get a good total this season. After that, let's discuss if he is world class. Isn't Moses a winger? His goal total at championship level doesn't suggest that he would be the answer.
I do agree that rather have 4 strikers, we should have 3, and one youngster like Obika - ready to be on the bench, but not expecting to play. It shouldn't be an 'oldie but goodie' because the pace and fitness and enthusiasm levels are usually lower than a youngster - they just have more experience and knowledge. Also oldies probably more injury prone. Besides, a youngster could become a future great.
Defoe is not world class and is only number 1 because no-one else is better or is getting a chance. Pav and Gio are probably both better. Strip out Wigan and Hull and Defoe has 6 goals in 17 appearances (most if not all starts). Not good enough for Keane who has 6 goals in 17 appearances (many as a sub). Kranjcar has 6 goals in 17 appearances as a MF. This may be the form of Defoe's life, but it's hardly world class. Let's not forget how he cost us so dearly with his red card. Conveniently got to miss playing Chelsea, ManU and Arsenal and then missed the penalty against Everton. 2 gift points not taken could go down as worse than lasagnagate. None of this points to world class. Rooney is world class. Defoe is not, which is why he will not be playing for England - just not good enough. Streaky and selfish. I think many don't want RVN because they just might see how non-world class that our strikers are. Imagine if a 33 year old displaces Defoe. Question you have to ask is do you think Defoe, Crouch and Keane are good enough to get us top 4 and to compete in CL? I know my answer. That said COYS
Well, I do not think Gio is better than Defoe. The jury is mainly out, but Gio hasn't shown anything great whilst on loan - why people have such a high opinion on him is beyond me. So Gio is not an option for me, until he is loaned out within Premiership and shows class.
Well I suppose it comes down to how you define world class. For me it is the feeling that if he gets a chance, he is almost always going to convert it. That is what I'm getting from Defoe this season - last couple of games aside. Why would you deny him his goals against Wigan and Hull? If that's your way of tallying things then don't you think you should also scrub out Keane's 4 againt Burnley? That would leave him 2 goals in 16 games wouldn't it????
He IS world class - and he's proving it at club and international level. World Cup teams usually evolve over the course of the tounament and so don't be surprised to see him and Rooney being the front pair by the time we reach the knockout stages.
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