Transfer Time

The summer transfer window turns even the most rational of supporters into a distracted and impatient character. Each passing day is an endless root through tabloid back pages, blogs and social media. The search is not dissimilar to that of a pig looking for truffles. The quarry here though isn’t an overpriced mushroom, rather an overpriced bloke who’s handy with a football.

Tottenham Hotspur, are possibly one of the biggest gifts to the rumour mongers and gossip columns in the entire Premier League. The club doesn’t have fortunes to spend, but is capable of pulling the odd rabbit from the hat. Think Luka Modric, think Dimitar Berbatov. Add to this the absence of Champions League football and the restriction of on only having a little over 36,000 seats to sell at every home game and you have all the ingredients required for transfer dilemmas galore.

Spurs routinely sell out their home games and the plans for new stadium have moved from the architect’s drawing board to Rudoplh’s being boarded up and construction work on the new Sainsburys obviously beginning to get underway. This is all good news to fans as securing Tottenham tickets for such a comparatively small venue can be less than straightforward.

So until the doors to the new stadium open, Tottenham will have to cut their cloth according to the size of their purse when it comes to transfers. Just as they ever have. The acquisition of Paulinho looks to be an inspired one. Voted the 3rd best player at the recent Confederations Cup, he gives every indication of being precisely what the Spurs midfield needs to step up a gear. The suggestion is that Scott Parker may be the man to move on to accommodate his arrival. The idea of Paulinho and Sandro teamed up for Tottenham is appealing, to put it mildly.

Despite the transformation of Gareth Bale from left back, to left wing, to free roaming attacker, the Lilywhites are now in urgent need of an upgrade on their strikers. Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe have both failed to measure up. Adebayor seems incapable of simply joining a side and doing what he’s paid to do without incident and complication. Jermain Defoe’s issues stem from his seeming inability to vary his game play. At his best he can score from nothing. At his worst, when he isn’t offside, he’s horribly selfish.

The name of Leandro Damiao has gone from being one that got Spurs fans salivating, to one that got them irritated. His non transfer has dragged on for three windows and recently the Internacional president revealed that he hadn’t received a single confirmed bid for the player since the beginning of the year. For whatever reason, this a move that is no longer worth speculating over.

Which leaves one man in pole position as Tottenham’s primary striking target, Barcelona’s David Villa. The Spanish legend would be a perfect fit at WHite Hart Lane from a number of perspectives. Firstly, he isn’t a stand alone front man, and would perhaps offer a role not a million miles away from that provided by Van Der Vaart. Secondly, despite lacking Premier League experience, this man is a World Cup winner and a seasoned professional of the highest calibre. Lastly, he would deliver the style of football that Spurs fans crave.

The new season looms and although it is probably said at this time every year, this one looks like being one of real consequence football 2013 – 14 tickets will be like gold dust at The Lane and rightly so. Tottenham spent the bulk of last season with depleted resources. Not only were they never able to replace Modric or Van Der Vaart, but they had to combat the sustained absences of both Younes Kaboul and Sandro.
To have achieved a 5th place finish under such circumstances might not have been miraculous, but it was admirable. With just a few key additions, a Champions League qualifying spot surely awaits.