This Summer’s transfer window

Thankfully, this season is drawing to a close. Although we can look at the table and see one of our highest points total in history, the only number that seems to matter is that 6 in the far left column. It hurts. It hurts to look at – it hurts to think about – it hurts to realise how much hope surrounded this club at the beginning of the season that quickly turned into a hurricane of doubt and frustration with every far-too-easy goal conceded, every uninspired performance, and every pathetic loss to West Ham (I mean really… West Ham!?!?).

But do not fear – it’s almost over. And soon we can all drink heavily to the pains that will most likely come watching our respective national teams play (unless, for me, the USA can achieve some sort of miracle).

It seems most appropriate after a disappointment of a season to set our hopes on the summer transfer window. And there is no doubt that this upcoming summer will be a very busy one for our beloved Spurs. As much as the prospect of signing some new talent to ensure Nacer Chadli will never step foot on the pitch at White Hart Lane (other than to spit-shine Eriksen’s boots with his toothbrush), I am approaching the window with a sense of trepidation.

Even though I am trying to be more optimistic about our future, especially after watching how good Eriksen really is, this uneasiness is instinctual at this point. Just look at what we did last summer?

Although uncertainty is warranted, there is a sliver of hope that Levy may have learned from his mistakes. This team is talented and young, but raw and definitely has some holes to fill and some dead weight that needs to be unloaded.

Here are the moves that I believe Levy will need to make before we kick off next season at the end of the summer.

Purchases

Manager

Who it will be, I am not sure. There are new reports every day of Levy-said-they-said among the sewage of English press, and it seems every Spurs fan has their own opinion on who is best for the job. Personally, I would love to see Frank De Boer reunited with Eriksen and Super-Jan. It would almost ensure Jan stays with Spurs, and De Boer knows how to play the high-energy attractive football that Spurs fans demand of their side.

[linequote]All that really matters is that Spurs lock down a new manager as soon as possible.[/linequote]All that really matters is that Spurs lock down a new manager as soon as possible. Tactics Timmy needs to go – he has been classless and naïve, and is not the man to take this club to the next level. There needs to be someone to take the reins of this club and move it in some sort of cohesive direction. The acquisition of a true manager will for sure be more attractive to summer prospects, as it will show that the club has some sort of direction to it.

This is for sure the most important thing Spurs can do this summer window.

A Left Back, for God’s Sake

It has been a long while since Danny Rose’s wonder goal against Arsenal, something that all Spurs fans hold very close to their hearts. That being said, it has been a long while and that remains one of his only highlights. This season, his form has ranged from “maybe this guy has top-class potential” to “my grandmother could defend better than that loser, and she’s 4’9 and just had back surgery!”

[linequote]Although Danny Rose has had countless lapses this season he can play the role of back up reliably.[/linequote]And in the absence of Danny Rose, Kyle Naughton and Zeki Fryers have done just well enough that it is hard to get too angry at them because they are playing out of position, but just poor enough to make every fan clench their beer glasses tighter and tighter by the minute. The loan of Disco Benny (LOL) was something I supported initially, because he always seemed “out of it” and uninterested. But the issue arose when the season kicked off and we had no back up for a LB who should be a back up to begin with.

After our falling out with Real Madrid at the end of the summer with the sale of Mezut Ozil to Arsenal, any attempt Levy makes to sign the out-of-favour Fábio Coentrão may very likely be met with an overpriced tag and a swift middle-finger.

Besides, there is plenty more talent closer to home. As congested as the market may be, placing bids on unlikely superstars Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw would not be a waste of our efforts. There are a lot of teams around the league (with higher finishes and more money available to promise), so signing those will be difficult. If we cannot, we MUST hold on to both Danny Rose and loanee Benoit Assou-Ekotto. Disco Benny is improbably reliable, and although Danny Rose has had countless lapses this season he can play the role of back up reliably.

Striker

The transfer rumours surrounding Spurs links with Romelu Lukaku seem much too good to be Spurs. Just why Mourinho believes Lukaku’s talent is not good enough to even wear the team shirt (especially over Torres), I will never understand. But his ignorance is what it is, and just because he is wrong does not mean Levy should not take full advantage. Especially amidst the speculation of a 1-for-1 swap of Paulinho (who I will discuss later) for Lukaku, I would not want to see spurs pass up on this opportunity. Lukaku is one of the biggest reasons for Everton’s success this season, and it has been a while since Spurs have had a striker who can make a great impact on every single game.

[linequote]Lukaku is one of the biggest reasons for Everton’s success this season.[/linequote]However, Everton sort of have dibs on Lukaku. At least, they can get him if they have the wage availability. And although I do not want to put limitations on Mourinho’s hubris, I am sceptical of Chelsea selling a top class player to a London rival. There is good chance Lukaku will not be made available to Spurs.

If that is the case, Spurs should sign a striker with the pace to run with the wingers in the counter, the strength to complete hold-up play, and the aerial capabilities to put away some of the umpteen crosses Spurs tend to put into the box every game.

Wilfried Bony impressed both in this season with Swansea and during his time at Vitesse. His fee should not be too high, plus he is a young prospect with a tendency to score some very impressive goals. Outside of the Premier League, a striker like Ivorian Seydou Doumbia from CSKA Moskova or (if Spurs are extremely lucky) Hulk would be good options.

Center-Back

Dawson is old and slow. And although he is the kind of guy you cannot help but root for, he may have played his last season as a competitive first-team player. He consistently got played for a fool in the biggest games this season, and cannot keep pace with a majority of competent Premier League strikers. Younes Kaboul has been a huge question mark this season, giving out goals for free and earning plenty of unnecessary cards to match. With Jan Vertonghen’s future at Spurs questionable, Spurs are left with a young pair of Vlad and Zeki Fryers.

The first name on the list for possible CB purchases must be Steven Caulker. Hoping there is some sort of buy-back clause in his contract, it seems his acquisition would be fairly simple. He has been top class for struggling Cardiff, and the relegation of his club may be the best thing that could have happened to his availability. There have been talks that Spurs may bid for the duo of Caulker and David Marshall, which I am not opposed to (for the right price). Regardless of how, Caulker is a must for this summer.

In addition, Spurs have been linked, alongside Roma and Manchester United, with Davide Astori of Cagliari. The 27 year old is a good option for Spurs, as he would provide some experience to the back line in the absence of Kaboul, Dawson, and Super-Jan. His price tag is set at 8 million, which seems appropriate, given his impressive form in 30 starts for the Italian side.

Sells

Tim Sherwood

Duh.

Emmanuel Adebayor

He does what he wants. That is for sure. And when he actually puts effort into games, he can be a deadly force for any side. He showcased this when Timmy brought him out of exile half-way through the season. He played inspired, energetic, and smart football. When he was on the pitch, the entire team seemed to feed off of his energy and play with more desire.

[linequote]The entire team’s form dropped at the same time Adebayor stopped caring.[/linequote]However, the moment he fell out of form he started to appear less interested. The real turning point here seemed to be the defeat versus Liverpool. That entire game was painful, on so many levels, but the entire squad looked like they began defeated. Since then Adebayor has been a ghost on the pitch, occasionally making his presence known trailing back to the midfield to play in defence.

What the resurrection of Emmanuel showed the world is that he truly can be world class – when managed correctly, and when happy. And (grimly) fortunately for Spurs, the entire team’s form dropped at the same time Adebayor stopped caring, which is fortunate because his lack of effort is masked by the fog of Tim Sherwood being an a**hole and the entire team being in shambles. All the negative energy surrounding Spurs has seemed to mask the negative that Adebayor has created for himself.

Now is the perfect time to sell him – with Lukaku (or another striker) possibly coming in, and his 80,000/week wage bill, Adebayor is soon going to become a huge liability to this club. It would be wise to sell him as soon as we can and start with younger players with more potential.

Paulinho

Chelsea are apparently interested. Why? What has Paulinho showcased this season? He has been extremely wasteful in attack, with only five goals and two assists on 69 shots (espnfc.com). He has a quicker trigger than Dick Cheney, and his defensive efforts have nothing more than lazy. And do not even get me started on that free kick “wall” effort against West Ham. How he was picked over Sandro for the World Cup, or even for the starting XI at Spurs, makes no sense to me.

He impressed in Confederations Cup with Brazil last summer, and hopefully he has a good showing this year at the World Cup. It will drive up his price. But if Chelsea are willing to pay over 17 million (or even include Lukaku in the deal), I say go for it. There is too much congestion in this midfield and wasteful cowardly players do not have much standing with me.

Aaron Lennon

I was watching one of Spurs’ horrible games a few months ago (cannot remember which one) with the local supporters club (shoutout to DC Spurs!). After watching Lennon break past the defense and put an aimless cross straight into the keeper’s hands for about the fifth straight time that day, one of the guys leaned over to me and said “you know lad, we have been watching Lennon play for so long. Every year it’s ‘look at how fast he is! He has so much potential!’ We’ve been saying that garbage for 9 years. He’s not a youngster any more.”

The fact is that Lennon has put in 74 crosses this season, and only turned out 3 assists, according to Tottenhamhotspur.com. He might not be a youngster any more, but he does not seem to get held to that standard. He is 27 years old – supposedly in his prime. And he still is unable to bring much more than pace and poor crossing to the pitch.

[linequote]The fact is that Lennon has put in 74 crosses this season, and only turned out 3 assists.[/linequote]Right now Lennon appears dead weight, stealing playing time from younger prospects at his position. If Townsend could stay uninjured for more than 10 minutes on the pitch, he would be a much better addition to the side than Lennon, if not solely for possible upside. We need to move forward from Lennon, and given Spurs purchased him for 1 million in 2005, the thought of his possible profit will have Levy salivating instantly.

Miscellaneous

The midfield is too congested, and everyone knows it. However, there are not too many players that are glaringly below the quality Spurs need, or at least do not show some sort of potential to reach that quality.

At least two of these midfielders have to go, especially with the glorious return of Lewis Holtby, Tom Carroll (and possibly Jake Livermore) from loan.

The list of players I feel are most likely to go, or at least most deserving of being shipped off, starts with Nacer Chadli. As bluntly stated in the podcast a few episodes ago, Chadli is “F****** S***.” He has shown me little to nothing this season, and more than a few people disagree with me (namely, my roommate). However, all I am saying is I would not be sad to see him go.

Capoue is in that same boat. He has been hurt for a good portion of the campaign, but after he attempted to force a move out during the January window, I question his commitment to the club in the long term.

Gylfi Siggurdson is a fun name to say. Gylfi. Siggurdson. Lol. But beside from that I do not see how well he fits into the team. His knack for scoring late stunners may be enough to keep him here, and I would not mind him staying, but he seems the black sheep of the group and not versatile enough to change positions to fit in the squad.

Players That Must Be Kept

Erik Lamela

Yes, I know. Lamela has been hurt all season and failed to have that much of an impact when on the pitch. But I have faith (beyond his 30 million price tag).

If you think about it, Lamela didn’t know the language, right when he got to England his brother gets kidnapped, and he spends most of the season battling injuries and hurrying to get back into the line-up. The kid is young, but most importantly he is very talented. He did not get too much time on the ball, but there were a few moments this campaign when he would dribble through about 4 defenders and get open looks. He has that ability that makes me not want to blink when he is on the ball, because if I miss one second I might miss a moment of sheer brilliance. He has undeniable skill, and I worry that if we sell him now, he will be back in three years in Chelsea blue tearing our defence apart.

Soldado

Soldado is another player with a high price tag and not a lot to show for this season. He can score penalties, cool! But he has been disappointing this season. You can blame service and you can blame nerves, but at the end of the season the fact is he failed to make a significant impact in any game beyond the penalty spot.

But his incredible goal tally for Valencia is promising. One season in the Premier League for a striker, especially moving from La Liga, is not easy. Some may settle quicker than others, but once Soldado settles I believe he can bring a lot to this team. He seems to be dedicated to the club, as evident by his face after he scored from open play against Cardiff and the excitement of the rest of the team at his goal.

When he clicks, he will be great, and hopefully worth the wait.

Hugo Lloris

I feel so sorry for Hugo. The number of 1-on-1 opportunities that he has faced this season has been cringe-worthy. Hugo has been the savoir for this club on a number of match days. Maybe if Spurs did not insist on playing a high line with the likes of Dawson and Kaboul getting smoked every week, Hugo would have achieved many more clean sheets.

[linequote]Hugo has been the saviour for this club on a number of match days.[/linequote]The hardest part is, if I was Hugo, I would want to leave too. How can this be fun for him? He consistently gets hung out to dry by poor defending against some of the best players in the world. He got knocked out by the monstrosity that is Romelu Lukaku’s knee, and continues to put in incredible performances just to look up and see a 3 or 4 goal score line at full time. He must be miserable. Poor Hugo…

Hugo is one of the top keepers in the Premier League, and we cannot let him go. However, we need to change something in the defence so he doesn’t quit football for life halfway through next campaign.

Because Levy is obviously reading this post, I want to include this note to him.

Dear Mr. Levy,

Dennis.

This summer is going to be very eventful – papers will be spewing feces from their pens around the clock and Levy will put out statements daily about who he had definitely not been in contact with ever. I have high hopes for Spurs, but this window might be a very painful one to watch. The only way for us Spurs fans to stay sane during such a summer is to just sit back, relax, drink plenty of beer, and enjoy the s*** show that is the summer transfer window.

COME ON YOU SPURS!