Much like Christmas, the fuss and build-up to the Transfer Window ‘slamming shut’ on Deadline Day starts earlier every year, and football supporters up and down the country eagerly write their wish-lists. But for fans of Tottenham Hotspur, the January window has not always brought them the presents they’ve been after. Will this year be […]
Another Window of Discontent?
Much like Christmas, the fuss and build-up to the Transfer Window ‘slamming shut’ on Deadline Day starts earlier every year, and football supporters up and down the country eagerly write their wish-lists. But for fans of Tottenham Hotspur, the January window has not always brought them the presents they’ve been after.
Will this year be different? I wouldn’t be so sure.
There is little doubt among Spurs fans that new faces are required. Not because we’re in desperate need of strengthening the first XI, but down to a burning desire to add the depth to the squad that will be required if we are to continue to fight for a top 4 league position, FA Cup run, and Europa League progress.
But we’ve been here before, and it should not be forgotten that Levy does not tend to part with his cash at this time of the year. Previous January transfer windows have seen us sign Ryan Nelsen and Luis Saha last year, Bongani Khumalo (remember him?) and Steven Pienaar in 2011, and Eidur Gudjohnsen and Younes Kaboul in 2010 – all on the cheap. Only Kaboul (and maybe Khumalo, who knows) is still with the club. Short term solutions to fix short term problems that don’t cost the club much.
[linequote]We’ve been here before, and it should not be forgotten that Levy does not tend to part with his cash at this time of the year[/linequote]
Lewis Holtby has been signed on a pre-contract agreement from Schalke 04, and will provide a huge amount of quality in the number 10 role that we clearly need at the moment, despite Clint Dempsey’s improved form. Talk from Germany suggests he has played his last match for the club and will join Spurs in January for a reduced fee, but if reports are to be believed, we’ve even managed to have a bid rejected for being too low. Classic Levy. I would expect this to be one deal that will be completed, probably some time around 11.50pm on January 31st, but if not, don’t hold your breath waiting for someone else come in to fill the void. Levy will see that we have Dempsey and Sigurdsson already with the club, Holtby coming in the summer, and that will be that.
And so to the striker situation. Despite his impressive early return, Defoe is struggling for form and with Adebayor at the African Cup of Nations, and also not being able to hit a barn door this season, many feel we need a new face – whether that’s as cover or as a new first choice. But finding someone who is likely to be available and provide the quality we need to push on, at this point of the season, will prove difficult. Everton managed it last year in Nikica Jelavic, but that is a rare example of getting it right in January.
[linequote]We, as fans, do not know what goes on behind the scenes and the efforts the chairman, manager and scouting team are going to in order to bring new faces in.[/linequote]
Alvaro Negredo and Leandro Damaio are the most realistic names to have been linked, but neither will be cheap and both are unproven in the Premier League. These two factors do not bode well in fans’ hopes to see Levy get his chequebook out.
I am not trying to suggest who we should sign (that’s what Twitter’s for), nor am I criticising Levy. We, as fans, do not know what goes on behind the scenes and the efforts the chairman, manager and scouting team are going to in order to bring new faces in.
This is merely a reality check. Signings may well be needed in certain areas, but I wouldn’t bet on them happening.
One thing is guaranteed, Sky will pretend that whatever is or isn’t happening is really exciting. And we’ll lap it up until the crushing realisation that we’ve signed Andy Booth on loan again.
[author name=”Ian W” avatar=”https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/3064644937/eb7303206723f35f64abd8f481cbe9d4_bigger.jpeg” twitter=”TheMindOfIan” website=”” tag=”TheMindofIan[/linequote]
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16 Comments
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22/01/2013 @ 11:22 am
…….we definitely need a striker, the midgit Defoe can’t carry the line on his own, and you never know which Ade is going to turn up, when he’s available. Our scoring rate is way too low, but then January signings too often turn out to be duds, and Levy is a canny operator who gets it right more often than not. After watching the game on Sunday, you have to admit Spurs are (or can be) a very strong team with or without additions, and I’d rather sign no-one than a 2nd-rate player in desperation – just as long as bits and pieces, like a foot or arm, don’t start falling off the brilliant but ageing Parker.
22/01/2013 @ 11:22 am
Very well written piece and I agree with all that you say!!
Come on you spurs!!
22/01/2013 @ 11:29 am
Please tell me what Levy has done right besides Rafa Van der Vaart. Even he was a basement bargain buy and it was just the timing that let Levy get him. Ever since all he has done is look at his “basement bargain buys”. Apart from those buys he’s done naff all and to be honest he is holding Spurs back. The sooner fans realize this and stop promoting how good he is the better. He shows very little ambiton for the club and since AVB came in he has not backed him. He was badly let down in not getting Moutinho and it won’t be the last time. The guy just hates spending money.
22/01/2013 @ 11:37 am
Levy bought Lloris, Vertonghen and Dembele, 3 of our best signings for years and nothing to do with AVB. We don’t have mega bucks to spend especially when we’re looking at a new stadium so thankfully it’s Levy and not you running the club. Whatever will be will be. Signings would be nice but we should be strong enough without. I’d be interested to see Ade and Deuce play together at some point.
22/01/2013 @ 11:38 am
…..so where did Bale, Modric, Lloris, Vertonghen, Dembele, Dempsey, Lennon, etc etc etc all come from then? And without the mafia slush funds of Citeh or the Blue Scum? We’re still competing and Levy has balanced the books. Spurs have a great & balanced squad right now – yes the need another striker, but not another Saha
22/01/2013 @ 11:48 am
I do not like this attitude amongst other Spurs fans. I think it ignores everything in reality and [picks out one or two points to paint a negative picture of what is actually a very positive time to be a Spurs fan… you should try and enjoy it, or what’s the point??? If you are miserable now, you must have been on the brink of suicide for the last 20 years!!! I think your comment actually says more about you than it does Spurs I’m afraid… It’s a good time to be a fan, unless you look for reasons for it not to be…
22/01/2013 @ 2:17 pm
Oh Please!!!! I bet you are one of those deludedly seduced Harry fans! Kniwwit fans like you are so blinkered! Like what many others have already stated – The majority of the players we have had since Jol days were mostly due to his brinkmanship and running of the club. He has done this without bankrupting our beloved club! Look at Harry at QPR! Although I would have liked to see Remy at Spurs (rather than nothing) do you think QPR can actually afford him, in normal circumstances? They have already blown loads on below quality players and already Harry is happy to spend someone elses money and lead them to financial ruin! God help Spurs if ever YOU or those who think like you were to own our club – we would end up like Leeds & Portsmouth. What exactly do you expect from Levy? We have started work on paying and building a brand new stadium that will cost inthe region of £450-500m (possibly more) and we have only had 1 season of CL football. Remember, Man U, Che/Ars have loadsa of experience in CL so regularly bank those sums of money enabling them to spend what they do (or in Ars’s case be in a position to) and Man City have a billionaire owner spending HIS OWN MONEY to enable the lavish spending. NOt to mention these other clubs have big stadiums and merchandising than us, hence the bigger income. Levy is trying to juggle this new stadium alongside getting us to compete – a very difficult process indeed, so cannot afford to gamble on signings that might not work out! If Levy signned 2-3 Top quality signings, say for arguments sake, from abroad (as english players are far too expensive and overrated) and they failed to gell in time until it was too late or worse – didn’t gell at all, it would affect our funds inthe summer, which means when decent players are willing to leave their clubs we WON’T BE IN THE MARKET FOR THEM due to no funds (all blown in January) – add to that our failure to qualify for the CL and we would be stuffed! Better to fail without the gamble and have a warchest for geniune, and thoughtful players than signing players on a whim because they no longer wanted for their club in mid-season. If you are going to spurt out just drivel then at least name a Spurs Chairman of yesteryear (preferably within your period as a fan, not what your grandad told you) that betters him. I know he has done more for us than Sugar, and although Scholar delivered trophies and enabled us to finish in the Top 3 on a number of occsasions but his methods almost bankrupted us, hence Sugar to the rescue!
22/01/2013 @ 11:30 am
My take on this situation is that we should stop thinking about the transfer fees and start thinking instead about salary costs. We can occasionally compete with £20M fees, but we will not for a long while yet be able to break our salary cap and that, galling as it is for me, is why we will not sign a big name striker for some time to come. If people can’t cope with that, they can always go down the road to the EmptyCrates, or to watch Cheatski where they buy players by the half dozen or even get a Virgin train to Oil City. We can’t compete with these clubs on fees or salaries and will need to be patient and accept Dan’s Deals. I’m a Spurs supporter, 69 years old, and remember Sugar, Scholar and Graham; I even remember Francis and Terry Neil. I’ll stick with AVB and Dan. COYS!!
22/01/2013 @ 12:05 pm
Why do you feel the need to call names for every other club like cheatski and oilcity. Why is being russian or a country having oil a big deal. Imagine if someone call your Tottenham Ugly Big-Nosed Miserly Judas German Convicts Spur.
22/01/2013 @ 12:34 pm
Not been around Spurs sites much before ……? Get used to it; one of the things you get for supporting big money clubs (you only sing when you’re winning) is that you get called names; it’s called banter.
22/01/2013 @ 12:47 pm
where have you been xboxgirl? Us Spurs get our fair share of abuse….just look back to the game against the pikeys from West Ham
22/01/2013 @ 12:51 pm
…but I think ugly big-nosed Miserly Judas German convicts is going a bit far….how can we be Yids & German?
22/01/2013 @ 11:44 am
Agree with this post totally. SPN over hype the whole thing big time. And then there’s the Chelski factor. Do they have any of their own scouts, or do they just wait for us to earmark a player and then steam in and outbid us. e.g. Oscar and Hazaard. Odds on Williem and Leandro to Chelsea in the summer?
COYS
22/01/2013 @ 12:02 pm
Good sensible article, no ranting and going off half cocked like quite a few others. It’s pretty obvious to all that we do need another quality striker added to the squad and if we as fans can see it, dont you think that the powers that be at Spurs know that too?
Spurs have been linked to all and sundry in the low class press, most of which is made up BS to put it mildly and agent driven to some extent. The decision makers at Spurs will not advertise which players they were going after but the longer the so called sports journalists name someone, it starts to snowball and when dont buy the player, it’s the usual nonsense that he rejected Spurs in favour of someone else.
As for the chap calling himself Feenix, I’m convinced that you are not a Spurs fan because if you were, you’d know that Daniel Levy has bought many good players to WHL, Berbatov, Bale, Modric, Walker, Noughton, BAE, VDV, Vertonghen, Dembele, Kaboul, Lloris, Sandro, Parker. Forgive me for those that I’ve missed off this list. His failures have been few.
The man has an agenda and is doing us proud. Give him and AVB a chance FFS.
22/01/2013 @ 12:43 pm
The real question should be : is the current squad good enough to get a Champion’s League place? Failure to bring in quality players last January arguably cost us that – along with Arry conniving with the media pundits over the England job and undermining morale etc. Had we managed to qualify we might well have kept Modric and Hazzard is on record as saying he chose Cheatski because he wanted to play in the Champions League…
I’m not sure we have enough creativity – ManU was a great result but we’re notorious for coming unstuck against the less fancied sides who stick up the barricades both under ‘Arry and AVB. A couple of kicks to the wrong players ( say Defoe and Parker )and we’ll have an injury crisis and have to bring in the youngsters ( which may be no bad thing ) but will they be enough to ensure a Champions League position( which as we know means top 3 )?
I think Dan is a bit ‘penny wise pound foolish’ – we need to strengthen key positions if we are to move on and that means spending…
22/01/2013 @ 7:00 pm
It would be so frustrating now that we are regularly knocking on the door season in and season out, not to go just that extra mile and take a punt on players that can propel us to where we all want to be. Just one or two more gambles and we can break through and who knows maybe even challenge for the title just a few years down the line. Certainly we MUST strengthen the striker position with one player and bringing in Holtby could freshen our midfield at just the right time. This could be possible for around 10-11 £million tops. Seeing as Levy “saved” all that and more on the dreaded Mou last summer, what’s the actual problem? If we miss out on CL we’ll probably miss out on Bale too. But maybe that’s the plan?
What Levy must realise (I’m sure he actually does) is that a regular CL slot will bring the right players to our door and we may even have the funds to pay them after a few years – success breeds success. It would be a snowball effect and could even see the demise of arsenal (shame!).
Or do we just want to keep finishing 5th/6th and rejoicing in the europa league? A gamble now could pay dividends in the near future and may even go some way to convince our best players to stay.
Time for Levy (who has run the club well thus far – but now we’re moving up a gear) to go that extra mile and really support his enthusiastic and skilled young coach who is prepared to aim at the stars. Don’t think we can’t go all the way because with avb in charge we can. BUT he needs support.
To the guy who said Adebayor alongside Dempsey, uugh i was enjoying my tea till you mentioned that! Visions of a slow moving strikeforce come to mind, almost like an action replay…..