I was having a think about what will happen in the closed season: not only in terms of player purchases, but also of player sales. I thought that I would kick off a discussion.
There is a rumour that Levy will provide Commoli/Jol with £20 million, this closed season, to finance player acquisitions. Coupled with the sale of some dead wood, this should enable us to start financing the purchase of some quality players to fit into our (already pretty good, lets be fair) team. Long gone are the times when we had to use our transfer budget to buy half a team of average players, we now had the ‘core’ of a top 4 team, but need to build on that with a limited number of top quality signings.
First things first, I think that Spurs would do well to sell the following players:
- Mido: Has, to be fair to him, not been given a chance this year. Players, particularly strikers, require games for match sharpness and Jol just hasn’t had the faith in him. I don’t know why this is, perhaps he has a bad attitude. However, I have faith in Jol on this one. Manchester City are apparently interested. Anticipated price: £4 million.
- Defoe: Clearly now the third striker. Has exhibited a lot of patience and, to be fair to him, has not really grumbled at spending a lot of time on the bench. It seems to me that Defoe doesn’t have the technique to fit in with Jol’s vision. We should in my opinion sell him now, whilst we will still get a good price – as he is still a proven goal scorer at the top level. Anticipated price: £8 million.
- Gardner: A weak link, I am sure we will all agree, who we would need to replace. A steady enough performer for Spurs over the years, but not a top 4 player. Anticipated price: £2 million.
- Tainio: A controversial one this, I expect. Often played out of position by Jol, and very rarely is picked by Jol as a first choice centre midfielder. Indeed, Jol often plays Ghaly instead, indicating who he prefers. It’s a bit of a sad one this, because I think Tainio exhibits the sort of passion and tenacity that we could do with seeing from other players, but once again – not a top 4 player in my opinion. Anticipated price: £3 million.
- Murphy: Just not getting a look in. It was a strange purchase at the time, and Jol must be a bit embarrassed about it. Surely he must be going. Anticipated price: £2 million.
- Lee: He has had a much better season this year, and – in deciding who we should/would sell, it was a ‘toss up’ between him and Assou-Ekotto. I think that Jol will operate on the basis of potential, and he seems to rate Ekotto. Therefore, I think that Lee will be shown the door. Anticipated price: £4 million.
So, with the transfer fund already in place, this will give us c. £43 million. With that money, I think we need a top quality players in the following positions:
- Goalkeeper: I think we need someone to keep Robinson on his toes. Play badly and get dropped, should be the message. At the moment, Robinson is on easy street – as there are no real quality alternatives. The rumours are that we will go for Niemi, on the cheap. This would suit me. Anticipated price: £ free ( I think).
- Left back: We need to spend good money on a top player. Bridge for £6/7 million would do it for me. Also, possibly, Leighton Baines or Gareth Bale for similar money. Bale has indicated a lack of interest, however, so this could limit our options in this respect.
- Centre back: King is back and in glorious form. However, we do need another quality player to cover injuries etc. Rocha appears to be Ramon Vega in disguise, but I would be happy to be proved wrong! A bit short of ideas for possible players, but Curtis Davies is often linked. Possible price: £8 million.
- Left wing: It has got to be either Robben (c. £15 million) or, more realistically, Stuart Downing (c. £10 million). Jol has persistently tracked Downing and, whilst he doesn’t look like the finished article yet, Commoli/Jol are rarely wrong. Let’s get him, and have the future England wingers at the Lane.
- Striker: That leaves c. £19 million. For me, we have simply got to go for Carlos Tevez. I saw him yesterday for the Hammers, and he really is a class apart. He is just the sort of player that we are looking for – technique, drive, tenacity and masses of ability. He will surely be leaving West Ham in the summer, stay up or not, and I imagine that several other clubs will be after him. It might depend on whether he likes London. Tevez would use up most of this £19 million, I expect, but would be worth it – particularly when the deal would be effectively part financed by the sale of Defoe. It would also be sensible to buy an up-and-coming striker, for smaller money. I like the look of Matt Derbyshire (Blackburn), but – alternatively – if Commoli/Jol can come up with a gem from the lower leagues, then great. Lets not forget that we also have the new Wayne Rooney coming soon (Terry Dixon – picked for the ROI squad at 16, before he had even played for our reserves!!) so he will surely be blooded next season.
Well, there are my thoughts. I would be hugely interested in any comments.
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