When Harry Redknapp secured fourth place for Tottenham Hotspur in 2010, he proclaimed that Spurs were two or three top, top players away from competing at the highest level. That seemed a fair, if slightly optimistic assessment but two and half transfer windows later are they any closer to reaching this top tier? And how much have they improved their squad?
They can point to the capture of Rafael van der Vaart as a step forward, he is definitely a crowd pleaser who relishes the big occasions, he is a top quality player, if not entirely consistent. And his price was indisputably superb. However, despite the fact that he has proven to be a success, his signing was a last minute piece of luck that allowed Spurs to disguise their inactivity in a summer in which they were looking to seriously improve their squad. Tottenham was incredibly close to a disastrously quiet transfer window.
The signing of Gallas, whilst controversial, was certainly astute, adding the required experience and quality to the squad. But at 33, it was not an investment to move the club onto the next level, it was a short-term fix, A good one certainly, but not a signing to signal a bright future competing for the top honours.
Sandro looks like a fantastic player but obviously does not fall into the category of a top, top player just yet and Steven Pienaar looks a lot like a deal that Redknapp just couldn’t resist. He has added little more than options and energy in midfield since January, certainly not the goals that Spurs really need.
So of the two or three top players that Tottenham needed to push on 12 months ago, what have they got? 1 top player in Van der Vaart? One top player but not exactly what they needed in Van der Vaart? 1 and half top players in Van der Vaart and Gallas? Since Spurs expressed the need for top signings, their transfer dealings have definitely been underwhelming.
If the January transfer window is anything to go by, then Levy and Redknapp are only too aware of their failings. Reports suggested they were scampering between La Liga’s top strikers, throwing bids out left, right and centre.
Despite these attempts, have Spurs really shown enough ambition? Over the last two transfer windows they certainly have not bought well enough to satisfy the top players at the club or to prove that Spurs really are heading in the right direction.
Spurs need at least one genuinely impressive signing, a top goalscorer, a really triffic player, and they need him fast. At the moment it feels like they’re treading water, while clubs all around are splashing the cash.
Written by Philip Wroe for FootballFancast.com. Who would lift Spurs to the next level? Can the current squad qualify for the Champions League next season?
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Redknapp has never been any good in the transfer market with the exception of buying quick fix players or players that are past their best. Look at the number of Redknapp signings currently regarded as fringe players and waiting to be sold. Palacios, Kranjcar, Defoe and Crouch, then look at the ridiculous signings he wanted to make, Parker, Beckham, Friedel, Adebayor and Phil Neville. Please…these are not players to take Spurs forward and not what I would call class players. Let’s be honest they are either past their best or too old and at best would be just a quick fix. I mean what’s that all about. When are we going to make a top top signing. i don’t mean the Aguero’s, Torres or Messi’s of this world I am talking about players such as Hulk, Falcao or Llorente because there is no way our owners will ever sanction a 40 million plus transfer. We could never attract any of their players anyway because of the lack of ambition from our owners.
They say we are well run club….really? If we are a well run then why can’t we attract top players and pay the going rate for those players. Since we got into the Champions League we have definitely gone backwards and players like Modric have seen this and i don’t blame him for wanting out. Let’s face it Levy’s lack of ambition has come back to haunt him now and deservedly so.
It’s almost as if Levy wants fans to turn their backs on Spurs the way he is carrying on now. There’s nothing coming out of his mouth regarding what he is trying to do in the transfer market, he is saying nothing. More and more fans must be really fed up with nothing but bad news coming out in the press, admittedly a lot of shit stirring is going on with owners using newspapers to do their tapping up. Please Mr Levy give us something positive.
you really know a lot about spurs mate !!!!!!!!!!!! NOT A THING
Sandro and Rafa where signed by LEVY not you beloved arry REDNAPP DOESNT have clue about players that we need or want all he knows about is average players like NEVELLE,CAMBELL.JAMES,COLE,PARKER u people are useless!!
Palacios..For Sale..potential loss 3-4 million
Crouch….?, potential loss 2-3 million
Keane……..Potential loss 10 million.
Defoe……..Potential loss 4 million.
Is it any wonder that Levy doesn’t give him Carte-Blanche? We’re facing a crossroads, and Levy isn’t even certain that he’ll be in charge when the England role or tax man has finished with him, and with his history, would you blame Levy?
I don’t like slagging my fellow Supporters off but some things need addressing. Firstly in the slower Champions league we where a breath of fresh air and all our Squad where maturing with age . Then it started fear fuelled by web sites and the media sky talk sport and the papers. This fear caused teams to turn to shady methods to compete we had City who was in a big rush to overhaul Utd has he top club in record time . Money was spent in millions and obscene wages Tempting players who would not normally sign for a team who had no champions league to brag about. The problem was it was done to quickly and they never gelled and we got fourth and stalled them this made them like a wasps who had bean swatted this made them nastier. Mean while we had a great squad but the most unhappy one in the premiership so Harry loaned all the glum faces out on loan and some of our exciting kids also went on loan who i thought should have replaced the glum faces. Our season was going okay like a horse waiting for the run with loads of speed in the tank. This waas when it started we never got the same eleven on the pitch for the whole season twice running without the missing Hudds and King we lacked the composure in the ever changing defenceand the passing skill with the odd thunderous winnig shot of Hudds who linked the midfield with our attack with raking missile passes from one fast winger to the other. This meant Harry changing from 442 to 4411 formation to fit Van Der Vaart into the team this worked for a spell with Crouch knocking headers down and Van Scoring then the Tactics changed with Huddlestones injury the arrowing crosses from free kicks went Modric suffered from Hudds covering his back while he ventured forward and and if the other team cleared the ball it would come back to tom and he would fire it back onto Crouchs 6ft7 head and keep teams pegged back till we scored. Also with King Missing we had no Cover tacklers with Kings speed to chas back and win the ball this meant Gomes started wandering of his line and rushing out of his goal and leaving a gaping hole when King played this would not happen. So the two missing player upset our styles of play and both systems never worked so to finish 5th was a remarkable feat that should have bean praised not seen has us going backwards just terrible luck bad decision in the run in Chelsea and City’s lucky offside goal by a player costing 27 million but helping City get a lot more. Yes we are all upset but anger can muddle the memory and i no more than most last seasons shock results City getting third was not down to there exciting team playing great football but more to do with all the shock results from high tempo defending culminating in the first player failing a drug test since Moreno got Mutu tested for attacking him in training on drugs that had helped his score 14 goals. Buying those three players Harry said we needed would not have helped us get in the top three for some very good and true reasons Torres and Dzecko score one goal between them yet a assistant referees decisions in one week left Spurs seven points behind City instead of two and Crouch helped turn it into 10 that period lost us fourth and City could not afford another one of game with players costing millions on loan. These three things stalled our flirtation with the top Citys and Chelsea Oil money Teams using energy drugs Kolo was not a lone wobbly belly drug abuser i no and was told by the testers when a friend reported Liverpool high tempo season when they finished second the problem the fa had a a man leading it with there club tie round his neck and it was swept under there dept ridden carpet. Now the man running it was city’s chairman in 1998 he got the job against all the odds City got third in the same season Sir Alan Sugar was in line for the job sadly for us he never got it so be mad but i hope you take what i have said in to account because believe me with Kolo soft sentence and Bernstien in chargeCity and the energy cheats will still be around to stop Spurs no matter who we sign unless Sugar gets the job and Harry get some of this high tempo. The iam afraid shock results will happen and throwing money at it will only cost you dear like Utd City and Chelsea are doing remember this it was not Chelsea or City who stopped Utd unbeaten run but struggling Wolves. Also it was Blackpool and Wigan Everton Bolton who derailed our season the reason Fear of failing followed by the sack and less wages for footballers. The sines are there if you look hard enough shocks galore drug cheats all over sport sudden deaths and massive weight loss in players gaunt looking faces all tell he sorry tale cheats do prosper if you allow them.
One last thought on this sorry subject City won the cup with a high tempo performance against a below par Stoke. The statement Tony Pulis made after there defeat at Wembley shocked me because in all the 50 years of watching football i have never heard a manager talk the way he did he said why did Stoke get drug tested before and after the Cup Final yet City never got tested at all. He does have a point since Kolo failed a test you would have thought it would be them getting tested both times unless you relise who runs the FA.