How long can we afford to give Soldado?

Having arrived from Valencia in the summer of 2013 for £26 million, there is only one word that I can use to describe Roberto Soldado: underwhelming. When Roberto came to us – having scored 101 goals in 207 La Liga appearances – we thought we’d finally gotten someone to take the place of Dimitar Berbatov’s long-unoccupied spot as Tottenham’s star striker. After recent rumours of Schalke 04 forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar coming in to replace ‘Spurs flop Soldado’, it got me thinking, how long can we afford to give Roberto Soldado?

An enormous amount of pressure was immediately placed upon the Spaniard after joining. Jermain Defoe was long past his best, Harry Kane was nowhere near as close to the first team as he is nowadays, and Emmanuel Adebayor was constantly left out by Andre Villas-Boas. Naturally, after having lost a certain Welshman that summer, we had a hankering for goals and a Bale-shaped hole that needed filling.

Spurs fans were desperate for Soldado to step up. Initially, having scored in a friendly against Espanyol and in the first two Premier League games of 2013/14, it seemed unanimous among Spurs supporters that Roberto was doing ok, and that even though the aforementioned goals had been penalties, his general game seemed sufficient enough for us to ‘give it time’.

During the few months that the two were both at White Hart Lane, Andre Villas-Boas played Soldado as a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It did not suit him. The midfield could not give him the service he needed, and transition was difficult as he was used to having two wider forwards either side of him at Valencia, rather than being completely isolated up-front.

[linequote]Roberto was doing ok, and that even though the aforementioned goals had been penalties, his general game seemed sufficient enough for us to ‘give it time’[/linequote]

The twelve-time Spain international was almost shut out of the first team completely when Villas-Boas was controversially sacked by Chairman Daniel Levy and Tim Sherwood was chosen to replace him. With the appointment of Sherwood came the return to the first team of Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored in his first game back at the Lane against West Ham in the Capital One Cup.

Manny was a favourite of Tim’s, reducing Soldado to a sporadic first team player for the remainder of the 2013/14 season. Despite actually making 34 appearances in all competitions, the Spaniard scored a disappointing eleven goals, with six coming in the Premier League and a mere two of those from open play (against Aston Villa and Cardiff City).

In many ways, the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino this summer could be very beneficial for Roberto. The fact that Harry Kane, having been frequently selected as of late, could be potentially important, because it gives £26M players like Soldado a chance to focus on the Premier League, whilst players who’re breaking through to the first team are given a chance in the Europa League and domestic competitions.

Even though – like AVB – Pochettino has used the popular 4-2-3-1 formation, in the cups he uses players like Kane as a deeper-laying striker in the ‘midfield’ three, meaning that the lone striker doesn’t have to drop further down the pitch and then have no one naturally in front of them. Also, Mauricio’s tendency to introduce younger players (as he did at his previous club Southampton and as we’ve seen already this season with the likes of Ryan Mason) could be helpful for Soldado because it is another way of keeping important players who are (or at least should be) first-team regulars fit and fresh for crucial Premier League fixtures.

[linequote]Roberto is a case where all we can do is be patient, trust Pochettino, and let the Spaniard do his thing[/linequote]

Unfortunately, just twelve matches into the 2014/15 season Soldado has made just three starts. It seems shameful that we should have to say that the arrival of Pochettino could be beneficial rather than will be. We are only in the October of this season, and there is already talk of Roberto Soldado’s departure. Not every foreign striker settles immediately, even Thierry Henry took a while to adjust to English football. Granted, even in the modern game, £26M is a lot of money to throw at something and ‘give it time to adjust’. People are expectant of instant gratification, and Roberto is one where all we can do is be patient, trust Pochettino, and let the Spaniard do his thing.