it?
While other sides showed their intent, by spending some seriously ridiculous amounts, Spurs fannied about, leaving everything to last minute and made sure they didn’t strengthen in the areas required.
While the British transfer records for both a British player and any player were broken by respectively Liverpool – Carroll from Newcastle for £36m – and Chelski – Torres from Liverpool for £50m – both strikers, Spurs tied up a midfielder that wasn’t really a necessity – Pienaar for £3m – and a young defender for £1.5m in Bongani Khumalo last October. So with van der Vaart an outlay of £12.5 since Champions League qualification.
It certainly hasn’t inspired the fans, they may be happy that stupid money wasn’t spent but hey ain’t chuffed at the lack of signings or those that were chased.
A last minute deal for Blackpool’s Charlie Adam was pretty much a done deal just couldn’t get a couple of signatures required. But why him? Looks like a last minute deal to try and placate the fans, another central midfielder of that style isn’t really required, Modric does that role quite well and Huddlestone may be back sometime hopefully. Decent holding player is needed but nothing.
Phil Neville, rat boy junior, yup the fans were really desperate for that one to go through. Yes we need a better option at right-back but Neville for christ sake. We also need an upgrade at left-back and it would have better option to go to Neville’s club and enquire about the guy on the other side Baines – best left-back in the county. OK the chances would have been slim but you never know.
And then there was the main area of the squad that most wanted an addition the forwards. With Keane sent out to, I suppose another of his boyhood clubs, West Spam on loan that leaves three of Defoe, Crouch and Pavlyuchenko, who between them have 6 league goals. Pav having five sixths of those.
Crouch can’t score for toffee in the league, has laid a number on for van der Vaart but the Dutchman has gone off the boil of late. Defoe just doesn’t seem to get the service needed and well Pav does score but his all round play leaves you so frustrated, especially his firs touch. And with vdV going off the boil does having just one up and him behind hamper he side? With Bale out will ‘Arry move vdV to the left and play two up?
So a striker who can lead from the front was required. A number were enquired about – Forlan, Llorente, Negredo, Rossi and Fabiano – but all approaches were knocked back. When it seems decent money was being offered along with Champions League football, it’s not a good sign getting so many rejections.
So our nearest competitors for the fourth spot pick up Torres for a rather large amount. Will he turn his season around along with theirs by at least looking the remotest bit interested in playing? It looks that way because he looks more up for it already and a nice little departing jibe at his old club…
The target for every footballer is to play at one of the top level clubs in the world, and I can do that now, so I am very very happy Fernando Torres
…and his old club may have overspent on Carroll but with that outlay and the £23m spent on Suarez they’ve got a new promising forward line for a net cost of £9m, which ain’t bad really.
Kaboul’s going for an op along with Ledley, Woodgate may be shoved into action earlier than preferred and Colruka is the only other option but at least ‘Arry and Levy fought off all those massive offers from all those huge sides for Jenas…