who are you and what have you done with Tottenham Hotspur?
Spurs had a number of players they needed to sign over the summer, it comes as a great shock that James Maddison, one of their main targets of the club and the fanbase is a Spurs player before July has started.
Not only a Spurs player before July but one for about £40m which when Declan Rice is going for over £100m seems quite a snip for the former Leicester player. Added into that is the prospect of Winks going the other way for £10m, now that’s a Brucie Bonus. Two birds one stone.
Because that’s the other thing they had to do before things start again, get rid of the deadwood and there’s plenty of them.
The other signing – does Kulusevski making his deal permanent count? – is the keeper. This time they didn’t go for their or the fanbase choice. Most wanted Raya from Brentford. A known quantity in the league, with an excellent save record and a decent punt out to start counter attacks. But Levy being Levy he went for a cheaper option, £40m being too much for him for a keeper obviously. So we’ve got Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli. Seen him classed as a youngster but he’s only a year younger than Raya.
It’s one of those “we’ll have to see” players. Is he going to be number 1? Is Hugo off after 11 years at the club? I mean if he did pack it in at half-time in the Newcastle game can he stay? At his best, one of the best but so many errors and errors that were punished. Great saves. Howling howlers.
Unfortunately it sounds like the keeper and the manager like to fanny about at the back, now Hugo wasn’t much good at it but Vicario sounds like he’s an accident waiting to happen. Especially if they don’t get some new defenders. It’s OK being comfortable and confident with the ball at your feet but if you have Emerson, Sanchez and Davies in front of you, it’s asking for trouble. He reportedly is excellent at saves which he might just require.
We’ll have to see about Maddison as well. Will he provide the service that will keep Kane at the club? I mean if you can score 30 league goals in a team with no creative midfielder, what can you do with a player who got 9 assists in a team who were relegated? Hopefully that’s what Spurs are getting not another, say, David Bentley.
But there’s still so much more required. No plaudits for Levy for once doing what needed to be done. One or two signings does not a summer make. At least two decent centrebacks are needed and as said a load of deadwood needs to be offloaded and can Levy do that, or will he set ridiculous prices for lumps like Sanchez? Maybe letting Winks go is a good indicator.