By no means did Tottenham sign Roberto Soldado to replace Gareth Bale. Indirectly, however, he was drafted in to help provide the club with some firepower in the Welshman’s absence.
In his last season at the club, Gareth Bale chipped in with 22 goals, an incredible return for an attacking midfielder. When he was shipped off to Real Madrid, it was clear that somebody would have to provide goal threat in his absence.
That’s why Andre Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy saw fit to drop £26m on Roberto Soldado. On the face of it, this seemed like a smart move. The Spaniard had scored 81 goals in 141 games for Valencia. Heck, prior to that, Soldado scored 33 goals in 66 games for Getafe. The man can be a force in front of goal.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to prove this whilst wearing a Spurs shirt. He’s made 24 appearances for his new club and has scored 10 goals, many of which were penalties. He’s hardly set the Premier League alight and already seems to have the pundits on his back.
The Spaniard has a frustrating tendency of snapping at his shots. It’s clear that he’s eager to make his mark, but his over-exuberance is doing himself and his team-mates few favours. He needs to relax, start getting the basics right and re-discover the qualities that made him such a force in La Liga.
Spurs boss Tim Sherwood still has faith in Soldado. Check out these quotes from The Mirror:
“It’s just a matter of time before Robbie hits the target again, starts scoring and gets on a run. He’s a good trainer and he’s just got to stick at it. We’ve all been professional footballers, so we know what it’s like. I’m not putting pressure on him and he’s not putting pressure on himself.”
That’s the key, I think. Soldado needs support, not jeers. He needs to be made to feel at home, so he can start playing his natural game.
Spurs fans don’t want this lad to end up being the next Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll or Andriy Shevchenko, all players who failed to make their mark after a big money move.
All new signings need time to adapt. Soldado deserves to be sheltered from criticism for the next 10 or so months. If he’s still struggling by the time next January rolls by, then it’s time to start worrying.
What’s your take? Should Spurs fans give Roberto Soldado a break?
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