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What we wanted -vs- What we got

6 min read
by The Fighting Cock
Back in May, when Harry was still manager and the season was coming to a close, I made some polls on The Fighting Cock forum, based on a 4-4-2 formation as to who we wanted to keep and who we wanted to sell. After the votes were counted, our desired first XI looked a little […]

Back in May, when Harry was still manager and the season was coming to a close, I made some polls on The Fighting Cock forum, based on a 4-4-2 formation as to who we wanted to keep and who we wanted to sell.

After the votes were counted, our desired first XI looked a little something like this…

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Subs: Friedel, Rose, Caulker*, Townsend*, Huddlestone, Parker, New Forward

Squad: Button, Naughton, Dawson, Gallas, King, New Winger, Livermore, New Central Midfielder, Falque

*U-21 so do not count towards 25-man squad

We had essentially decided that the following should go:

Gomes, Cudicini, Alnwick, Corluka, Nelsen, Bassong, Bentley, Jenas, Kranjcar, Pienaar, Dos Santos, Saha, Adebayor and Defoe

Now in September, with the transfer window over, let’s analyse our wish list and 25-man squad list.

Goalkeepers

We got our wish for a new keeper in Hugo Lloris albeit on the final day of the window. Ben Alnwick went but surprisingly David Button who we wanted to be third choice was sold to Charlton with Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini still around, leaving us essentially with four first team keepers. Brad Friedel has already said he is happy to be second choice and likely to be so, which leaves Cudicini or Gomes fighting for 3rd choice. I suspect Gomes will leave in the loan window or Cudicini released from his contract (which Spurs have still not announced the extension of).

1. Hugo Lloris
2. Brad Friedel
3. Heurelho Gomes
4. Carlo Cudicini

Full-backs

Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto remain our first choice full-backs as expected. With Danny Rose out on loan to Sunderland for the season it means Kyle Naughton makes the subs bench in his place, allowing for a squad place to free up for another position. Naughton is expected to cover both right-back (his preferred position) and left-back with young Adam Smith available to cover the right-back position as well if required without taking a squad place. Vedran Corluka as we wanted, was sold to Lokomotiv Moscow.

5. Kyle Walker
6. Benoit Assou-Ekotto
7. Kyle Naughton
+ Adam Smith

Central Defenders

Ryan Nelsen (QPR) and Sebastien Bassong (Norwich) were released/sold as expected, however Ledley King has also sadly retired. Having voted to have 6 central defenders around it was a surprise then that AVB was willing to let Michael Dawson also leave the club but it seems since first choice Younes Kaboul is now injured until January that perhaps it would be wise to keep 5 central defenders around as a minimum. With Steven Caulker returning from his loan (and not taking up a squad place) and William Gallas sticking around in his last year for much needed squad backup the only thing we wanted was a new first choice central defender, which we duly got early in the window in Jan Vertonghen who can also cover the left-back position.

8. Jan Vertonghen
9. Younes Kaboul
10. William Gallas
11. Michael Dawson
+ Steven Caulker

Defensive/Central Midfielders/Deep Lying Playmakers

With our formation essentially now being 4-2-3-1 one could argue that not much has changed in what we want in the middle of the park. With Luka Modric finally leaving us that left a position in the first team that we required to fill. Debates will carry on but seeing as Mousa Dembele essentially played the deep lying playmaker role for Fulham in my view we are replacing that first team position with him.

A lot has been said about getting Joao Moutinho in, and hopefully it will happen in the future, however our midfield options are many, including Tom Huddlestone who surprisingly was to be loaned to Stoke City only for that to seemingly fall through. One would think he would cover well for Dembele but judging by the first 2 games of the season it seems that Jake Livermore and Jermaine Jenas (who we were unable to sell once again following a collapsed transfer to Sunderland) are ahead of Thudd.

Our defensive midfielders remain the same with Sandro likely to get more game time than Scott Parker this season. Our seventh midfielder is young Tom Carroll who will likely need to be loaned out once more once the Championship loan window re-opens in a week’s time.

12. Mousa Dembele
13. Tom Huddlestone
14. Sandro Ranieri
15. Scott Parker
16. Jake Livermore
17. Jermaine Jenas
+ Tom Carroll

Attacking Midfielders

With the move to 4-2-3-1, essentially one of our forward positions becomes the attacking midfielder position. Two of the forwards we wanted to keep fall nicely into this position, one unfortunately was Rafael van der Vaart who has returned to Germany seemingly for family reasons. The other was young Yago Falque who will require a squad number but has not featured heavily under AVB. Another player who would have fit in this position is Giovani Dos Santos but with his contract expiring next year, and him likely not to want to sign a new one, the club wisely decided to cash in on him just as we had wanted and sold him to Mallorca. Coming into the first team is likely to be Gylfi Sigurdsson but with no backup player for this position (and we did want to bring in one more central midfielder) I expect players in the wing/attacking positions to drop into this position. Moutinho would have been perfect!

18. Gylfi Sigurdsson
19. Yago Falque

Wide Midfielders/Wingers

Whereas in a 4-4-2 we had players like Steven Pienaar who has re-joined Everton and Niko Kranjcar who has left for Dynamo Kyiv filling in as wide midfielders we now are likely to play the 4-2-3-1 formation with proper wingers. Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon fit in perfectly for this formation with young Andros Townsend, who doesn’t need a squad number, and newly signed Clint Dempsey competing for a place in the first eleven in their favoured wing positions. Dempsey could also cover for Sigurdsson as well as up front and I for one am glad he was brought in. Incredibly David Bentley is still kicking around but is unlikely to feature in an AVB team.

20. Gareth Bale
21. Aaron Lennon
22. Clint Dempsey
23. David Bentley
+ Andros Townsend

Striker

When we were playing 4-4-2 we wanted to bring in two new first choice forwards to replace a departing Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. As it turned out we were happy to bring in only one forward as we changed to a 4-2-3-1 and even one which not everyone wanted to keep on in Adebayor. With Defoe also signing a new contract it seems Fernando Llorente and Leandro Damiao were no longer options however it remains to be seen whether things change in January. Louis Saha was released, subsequently joining Sunderland and Harry Kane was loaned out to Norwich meaning Clint Dempsey will likely cover in attack should it be required. The worry here is that if Adebayor gets injured can Dempsey or Defoe lead the line? We shall see. Jonathan Obika will also require a squad number but is unlikely to get one.

24. Emmanuel Adebayor
25. Jermain Defoe
26. Jonathan Obika

Conclusion

I genuinely believe we are a Moutinho and a Llorente away from having a complete squad now and that we got most of what we asked for, in which case well done Daniel Levy!

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Subs: Friedel, Naughton, Caulker*, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Parker, Defoe

Squad: Cudicini, Gomes, Smith*, Dawson, Gallas, Livermore, Carroll*, Jenas, Bentley, Townsend*, Falque

*U-21 so do not count towards 25-man squad

[author name=”zin” website=”spursplayers.blogspot.co.uk[/linequote]

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

31 Comments

  1. Michael Davis
    01/09/2012 @ 11:25 am

    Agree with most or the squad.
    I think 3 goalkeepers are enough so that gives an extra squad position and I suspect that Davis Bentley could be left out of the squad giving the space to Obika
    I think that there are some other youngsters who may be added and used sparingly in the cups

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 11:55 am

      No need to register anyone born on or after 1st Jan 1991. I think the U-21 league will be a good level of competition this year for the youngsters to progress into the first team.

  2. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 11:28 am

    Levy is an arch cunt,

    Bald headed penny pinching little cunt

    fucked us again, we had a genuine chance of moving on but all we got was the same sold bollocks and PR spin bullshit of the supposed Moutinho offer.

    Clint fucking dempsey, what a joke, he is Pav in disguise.

    FUCK YOU DANIEL AND FUCK ENIC

    LEVY OUT!!

    • Bilal
      01/09/2012 @ 11:40 am

      A bit strong but i understand your frustration at least your eyes are open unlike some of the rest of us Spurs fans (Hint Hint)

    • TommyHarmer
      01/09/2012 @ 12:27 pm

      Apart from the fact that you are obstinately abusive, I suspect you’re one of those ‘supporters’ who booed at the end of the WBA game. I can understand, on the basis of your language that you have no brains, but are you aware of the restraints under which we operate as a club, competing with other teams with more money than sense? In the circumstances, as just about everybody else will say, Levy did very well ……. wouldn’t Chelsea or Man City be a better team for you to ‘support’?

    • Nevill_H
      01/09/2012 @ 12:51 pm

      Ridiculous ‘supporter’- head over to the blue side of East London.

  3. koko61
    01/09/2012 @ 11:32 am

    While I agree with you on how well Levy has done so far. I cannot find encouragement from his last minute dealings, as we left it far to late to iron out Moutinho’s personal terms. The man needs to get things done earlier so that this last minute dealings dont keep on biting us in the bum. The one player who could of stepped in to Modders shoes and who I think is better ,would of helped us to achieve a champions league place for sure as he can score goals as well. Lets hope we still do well with what we have so far. COYS.

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 11:57 am

      Yet his methods have successfully brought in a world class keeper for peanuts (8m rising to 12m) instead of the 15m that was being quoted. Easy to not penny pinch when it’s not your money.

  4. oxfordyid
    01/09/2012 @ 11:35 am

    read your report and i agree with some of it but my main gripe is that every year we seem to make bids for top players in the hope that the fans will beleive that levy is really trying to bring in the best but every year he fails and we never really find out why a typical levy smoke screen , as to the last minute signings yes we need a top goalie but it could of waited as we have three good ones so not a priority couldhave waited till next summer , dempsy good squad player but levy bought him cus he was cheap not that he was needed and as for moutinho well they should know what his terms were up front he was needed but levy sand bagging us again as usual from levy so again our priorities have not been filled but we have ended up with a cash surplus again so levy will be happy , but could be worse you could be a liverfool fan .coys

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 12:00 pm

      Dempsey at 6m is a steal. Proven in the premier league, covers various positions we were short in and scores goals. What priorities were not filled? Who do you not want in that first XI?

    • DannyF
      04/09/2012 @ 2:32 pm

      “as for moutinho well they should know what his terms were up front he was needed but levy sand bagging us again”

      You know, Levy doesn’t have a monopoly on the changing terms at the last minute tactic. None of us really know who “sand bagged” who, if at all. It ties the loose ends up nicely to constantly blame Levy but anyone who has conducted any high-value acquisition in the past whether it be footballers, company’s, property, or whatever will confirm that as deadlines near terms can easily change on both sides of a deal.

  5. Jimmy The Boy
    01/09/2012 @ 11:35 am

    Ossie calm down. It’s embarrassing.

    Moutinho was held up due to third party fees due to Sporting, kinda like Vertongen transfer.

    I think we did well, leaving us money to spend in Jan! (if needs be)

  6. Bilal
    01/09/2012 @ 11:38 am

    Are you sure about this? don’t you think it would have been good for Mr Levy to put his hand in his own pockets for a change? almost £50m in and £50m out that means once again Mr Levy comes out smelling of roses unless you really do the maths.
    Yes Moutinho would have been great and unless we are about to become a Spain or a Barcelona why just 2 strikers? (don’t say Dempsey is a striker) why oh why.

    maybe i’m crazy but maybe just maybe Arsenal and Spurs have a deal at boardroom level not to pay top wages in North London.

    We can be kings if we only had belief and a chairman who thinks football and no profits all the time (sometimes yes but every damn year) COYS

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 12:03 pm

      Arsenal pay about 30 to 40m a year more than us in wages and are the 5th highest club in wages.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18248540

      As for your 50m in and 50m out it doesn’t work like that, it’s not just the transfer fee – you have to take into consideration the wages per year, the fact that you don’t get the whole transfer fee up front, some clubs want you to pay more up front to get a player etc… do a bit of research on how transfers actually work out.

  7. THE17
    01/09/2012 @ 11:39 am

    I agree with Ossie’s Dream. We have sold Modric and VDV and got 2 Fulham players in return. Big step foward! I think Moutinho is overrated for his fee and wages. If he was so good why weren’t other clubs beating a path to his door? We desperately need a top class striker ( not Adebayor) as lack of goals has cost us in the last 2 seasons. We should have gone for Damiao last year, but Levy was too tight and risk averse.

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 12:08 pm

      Modric came from Dinamo Zagreb so who cares that Dembele and Dempsey came from Fulham? What a strange comment, didn’t realise Real Madrid needed to be our feeder club for a player to be acceptable.

  8. gus
    01/09/2012 @ 11:45 am

    That’s a pretty embarassing rant alright, perhaps you need to lay of the booze or support another club? I trust Levy and he achieved more good than bad. If not for Mout’s complicated situation we’d have had him too and be laughing. The reality is we are not a sheik or oil drunk russian owned club and we have to be prudent with our spending. I am quietly excited about the Norwich game, hope our new team will come together, and with a striker and Moutinho in January we will be very scary. COYS

  9. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 11:51 am

    our squad is average , if anything worse than it was last week, this is a disgrace

    that shiny headed mongoloid of chairman of ours is a liability and needs to be replaced, he has no idea of what to do when it comes to transfers.

    What kind of a mong leaves it to the last minute, what kind of a mong sacks a manager who had your team in the top 4 and had the team playing amazing football, what kind of a mong can’t act on what everyone can plainly see needs to be done,

    6 mil for fucking dempsey, 15 mil for dembele, why???? LLoris, why??? We have a great goalie , yes he is old but was Lloris necessary THIS year? no. The money should have been put on a top class striker and a top class Mods replacement, but all we got the same old bullshit and the same old Levy PR spin.

    FUCK YOU DANIEL AND FUCK YOU JOE LEWIS AND ENIC

    LEVY OUT!

  10. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 12:00 pm

    Gus

    “Prudent with our spending”

    Levy has spent tons but on the WRONG players.

    If you had Moutninho and Falcao instead of all the sub average players that been signed you would be delirious, and all os us would have been too, we would have that crucial difference in quality to finally surpass Arsenal, and challenge the Manchester clubs.

    insteatd we got, Sighurddson, Dembele, Lloris, Dempsey, and sold Modric and VDV,

    We had the money but Levy spent it wrong.

  11. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 12:01 pm

    PS: LEVY OUT!!!

  12. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 12:05 pm

    I bet AVB is thinking “What the fuck have I got myself into with this chairman?”

  13. zin
    01/09/2012 @ 12:10 pm

    Ossies Dream – confirmed Gooner troll.

    Ossies Dream: “hahahahah watch me wind up these Spuds, atishoo is a far better keeper than Lloris and they would only dream to have a super player like Djourou in their team”

  14. longislandspur
    01/09/2012 @ 12:13 pm

    Why don’t you all just wait and see how the squad plays together? That would be sensible, wouldn’t it? Stop being massive cunts.

  15. Ossies Dream
    01/09/2012 @ 12:13 pm

    huh?

    what you on about?

    Oh I see trying to discredit me, only a goner scumbag would take the time to do that.

    Don’t try to change the chat we are having, go and cry about tRobin the rapist going to Man U.

  16. Aaas
    01/09/2012 @ 12:22 pm

    calm down. With a 36000 capacity stadium we were never gonna do a chelsea. We were close to moutinho and it didn’t happen……but we have to run a club like a business….that’s why we are where we are right now. Remember levy got us modders, vdv and berbatov. He also got profit on all of them. The one thing spurs have shown is that they can create players into world class. And we will do it again I think. I have faith in our signings…..moutinho would of been perfect and allowed us to challenge for the title in my opinion. Now we need to hope dembele stays fit……and if things go pear shaped with have money to spend in jan. Overall levy did well in the window….could of been perfect but not to be. It’s over now so let’s get behind what we have got and support them all the way.

  17. Andy
    01/09/2012 @ 12:22 pm

    I think that squad looks great. In terms of challenging for the top 4 I think we’re a little better off than last year in terms of the depth we have. Of course moutinho and Llorente would have been nice, and with them we probably would have challenged for the title, but I’m willing to pace ourselves in order to avoid doing a Leeds/Pompey. You have to remember that had we signed either we would have made a loss over the window which when we don’t have a sugar daddy to swallow up the debt would really hit us hard, especially if we dont get champions league football

  18. Aaas
    01/09/2012 @ 12:31 pm

    We have actually not spent any of the 20 million we had ready for transfers…..which we get every summer. So we know we have money to spend in january. Daniel levy is a lot more careful now with transfers since the bent and bentley experience. Which is a double edged sword sometimes. But at least we know we are being run properly. And to all those of you who are annoyed we got two fulham players….our best player was got from Southampton and is welsh…..so u never know

  19. Joe
    01/09/2012 @ 12:41 pm

    That bloke ossies dream is defo a gooner! how pathetic can you get. Gutted about moutinho! But we have to come in late to be able to afford him…thats what people dont get…we HAVE to watch the cash…otherwise genuinely could do a Portsmouth…in regards to moutinho tho i really think he could have made the difference between top 4 or no top 4. But otherwise was a fantastic window…and that dembele.,..WOW! just quality! Lloris btw is unnecessary every spurs fan knows that..friedal is 141 years old! french captain…25…absolute steal!! EXCITED MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COOYSSSSSSSSS

  20. Blanchflowers Legacy
    01/09/2012 @ 12:46 pm

    @Ossie. Man, can see your point (although kerb the language you make yourself look a bit of a ‘tard) but Falcao and Moutinho? Falcao has a 50 million buy out clause and Moutinho has a sell on and is untried in the EPL so is a gamble. Remember Rebrov? Just because a player is great at one level does not mean they will be good elsewhere. Dembele and Dempsey should come good. Lloris was a top signing, Vertonghen another and I am happy with Siggy. Not so happy with loaning Kane out. Quite optomistic with this team. Not too optomistic about AVB’s attempts to offload Huddlestone and Dawson. Great players. Did smack a bit of AVB trying to change the team quickly as he did at the Bus parking, flukey, pikey, Mafia funded bunch of tossers down the road……;) !

  21. spur1950
    01/09/2012 @ 12:52 pm

    zin pry tell with all the ins and outs over 4 zeasons work this out boss!!!!!
    out
    keane,crouch,pav,kranks,dos santos,vdv,palcious,berby,modric,bent,pienaar,bassong,sanchez,ohara,
    botang,chimbonda, corluka,plus monies from european cup and the outs plus wages about 140m in profit
    why else would they put out the pr bullshit every time!!

    • zin
      01/09/2012 @ 1:01 pm

      There’s plenty of articles on Spurs finances you can google for and find out for yourself the answer to your question. I don’t think I’m going to be able to explain to you by myself.

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