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JDK said:Moutinho and another wing player in January for me. I rather like Willian. Qualify for Champions League and grab Damaio in the summer:avblol:
But this is the point Im trying to make.
What makes you want to drop Dembele, Lennon and Defoe at this moment in time? Id much prefer those players to continue to grow, than need to replace them.
I dont look at Lennon this season and think "hmm, I wish we had Willian out there".
Ouch. That's a hell of a lot of money.JDK said:Moutinho and another wing player in January for me. I rather like Willian. Qualify for Champions League and grab Damaio in the summer
Im not sure we need a striker at this stage, Id assess Defoe's development between now and January. Dempsey, imo is perfect backup for Defoe, and can play out wide if Lennon needs covering.
A top striker isnt going to come and play second fiddle (and based on the season so far) I see no need to drop Defoe. We also have Ade coming back giving us good variation, especially with Defoe growing into the lone striker role so well.
Either can play up top, or together, or either can play with Dempsey supporting.
Cover for Lennon would be great, but again, Willian is not going to sit on the bench. Id utilise the squad a bit more, and maybe try and get someone of Hoiletts calibre.
Dembele definately needs cover/competition at this stage. That could very well change, and we might need to sign a first choice playmaker, but right now, that place is his for me.
LB, Im not so sure...its just coincidence that both BAE and Naughton are out, but Naughton looked pretty good when he stepped in. Plus Jan can play there. Id leave that position.
Basically, for me its too early to wish for replacements. The early individual signs are very, very good. Its just a matter of it all gelling under the new regime.
A top striker isnt going to come and play second fiddle (and based on the season so far) I see no need to drop Defoe. We also have Ade coming back giving us good variation, especially with Defoe growing into the lone striker role so well.
Either can play up top, or together, or either can play with Dempsey supporting.
Cover for Lennon would be great, but again, Willian is not going to sit on the bench. Id utilise the squad a bit more, and maybe try and get someone of Hoiletts calibre.
Dembele definately needs cover/competition at this stage. That could very well change, and we might need to sign a first choice playmaker, but right now, that place is his for me.
LB, Im not so sure...its just coincidence that both BAE and Naughton are out, but Naughton looked pretty good when he stepped in. Plus Jan can play there. Id leave that position.
Basically, for me its too early to wish for replacements. The early individual signs are very, very good. Its just a matter of it all gelling under the new regime.
sammyspurs said:JDK said:Moutinho and another wing player in January for me. I rather like Willian. Qualify for Champions League and grab Damaio in the summer
But this is the point Im trying to make.
What makes you want to drop Dembele, Lennon and Defoe at this moment in time? Id much prefer those players to continue to grow, than need to replace them.
I dont look at Lennon this season and think "hmm, I wish we had Willian out there".
I look at Lennon and Bale and think one twinge of the hamstring or ankle roll and we are relying extremely heavily on Townsend (I like Andros a lot but he's not quite good enough to start in every PL game). Top sides have more than one quality player at every position.
People say out of one side of their mouth that we should be competing to win in all four competitions but out of the other side say we aren't a club that can support that many quality players. Well, you have to choose one or other. If we are going to go for it and strive for glory then we need to keep bringing good players at all positions on the pitch consistently.
In theory you are dead right....but not many clubs have backup that is better, or equally talented as their first choice.
Spurs quite simply cant afford that luxury. What we need is flexibility, and an array utility players which will allow us to change it up a bit and still be effective, as opposed to replacing like for like with equal talent when someone gets injured.
Its worked well in the past, and the reason we never struggled when Modric broke his leg, and was out for two months again the season after.
Spurs quite simply cant afford that luxury. What we need is flexibility, and an array utility players which will allow us to change it up a bit and still be effective, as opposed to replacing like for like with equal talent when someone gets injured.
Its worked well in the past, and the reason we never struggled when Modric broke his leg, and was out for two months again the season after.
VirginiaSpur said:Ouch. That's a hell of a lot of money.JDK said:Moutinho and another wing player in January for me. I rather like Willian. Qualify for Champions League and grab Damaio in the summer
Yes but,
1) We balanced the books this summer.
2) Willian wants out and there are rumors his contract is up soon. His fee could be in the 10-12 million range.
3) We still have players that we are likely to shift. I feel like Huddlestone and Dawson are still likely to be sold and they will both command solid price.
4) I don't actually think we'll get Damaio that was mostly tongue in cheek.
I do think we need Moutinho and another wing player though. We could be so dynamic with those additions.
Also, we are probably going to need another CB this summer most likely. Vertonghen and Caulker look like ones for the future but Dawson's future is very uncertain and Gallas despite still playing at a high level might not have that much longer. Then you have Kaboul who is phenomenal but I think that he might be fair to label him injury prone. What do you guys think?
I like our team a lot but we could still get a lot stronger and deeper. I love the foundation that AVB has but I think he is going to want to keep significantly adding players (as much as DL lets him) through the next few windows.
sammyspurs said:
Willian, like Dempsey can play any position in the three of a 4-2-3-1 which is a big reason I rate him so highly. Moutinho is simply too dynamic to turn down. I don't think we need a like for like Modric replacement or anything like that. Honestly, I think Dembele has filled in perfectly. However, when you have a player of Moutinho's quality that wants to come and that our manager values more than other player it is a no brainer.
I dream of a base midfield of Dembele and Moutinho, those two offer so much and you could field so many different combinations around them. Let's not forget that Moutinho is a much better player than Modric defensively and can really get stuck in when he needs to. I must admit I am very tantalized by the possibility of those two playing together.
Dont forget that will be at the expense of seeing Sandro go on to become a Man U legend..................... 
I have to see Adebayor play until I decide if I think we need a striker. I would like 1 decent winger though.. Still wish we got Junior Hoilett :hudd:
JDK said:
Whats that?
JDK said:
Of course they can - which is how I expected us to be lining up this season have we been a little luckier on August 31st
We don't need winger cover se - more of a versatile wide forward unit - 4-3-3 doesn't rely on wingers as much as wide attackers which is where Willian would be a good signing. And that is what Avi b has always played, is playing and is most likely going to play as soon as he s acquired all the right players.
Moutinho,a class no 10,a striker,and then we will have a squad cabable of strongly challenging for the league.look at the changes city,utd and Chelsea can make to the team and still put out strong sides.we need to be a similar standard squad.striker wise I'd go for damiao or lewendowski,and isco as a no.10
Spurs1985 said:
The difference is, players are happy to sit on those clubs bench's, whether it be for the 200,000 a week, or the chance of winning the title/CL.
We couldnt do with Dzeko what City are doing with him. He would just leave.
We simply cant do that with top players at this stage. Rotation is all very well, but who drops an in form striker?
sammyspurs said:
Thats my line of thinking.
I think Moutinho is a fabulous player, I would genuinely love to see him in a Spurs shirt as I have been following him for years.
And I also think Moutinho in this squad allows us to have some terrific options in midfield
Moutinho-Dembele
-----Dempsey
Sandro - Moutinho
-----Sigurdsson
Sandro - Dembele
-----Dempsey
And basically any variation between. Introduce Huddlestone to the mix and that just looks incredibly strong.
My fear is not for the team at all, but the squad harmony.
It becomes a choice of constant rotation to get all players time on the pitch, or leaving someone like Sandro, Dembele or Moutinho on the bench for an extended period. Neither seem ideal IMHO and either could lead to unhappy players.
I think its different when talking of the likes of Willian, we have only 2 senior wingers and a kid trying to push through. There would be ample opportunity to play somone as flexible as Willian and keep all happy. Its also easier to sub or rotate wingers, in CM consistency is king - wing play requires freshness and competition can be invaluable.
Also, as our play relies on the wingers a great deal it would provide added comfort in the continuity of having 4 wingers in the squad.
Wing play was a big feature of AVBs Porto side, stretching the pitch was essential to making the space to use his midfield trio and Falcao. I know Hulk came inside a lot to become and auxillary forward - but he always started wide and often stayed there. When he came in the full back picked up the width. We need this kind of wing play to make the system work - which dictates a certain strength in depth.
There's some real potential with Moutinho in our side, thats for sure. What kind of player is he exactly Lister? I havent watched him extensively, but he looks like he goes alot wider than Modric would from a CM position.
Does he move the ball quick on the counter, or is he more measured?
The reason Im asking, is because I honestly think Dembele could be like Gazza for us. We've missed that kind of player at Spurs, and its the type of player we've traditionally been associated with.
The way he muscles around and through people is pretty unique, and I dont want the percieved need for a Modric/Carrick type "playmaker" to end up stifling Dembele's development.
Imagine a Gazza in our side. Pisses all over Modric.
Does he move the ball quick on the counter, or is he more measured?
The reason Im asking, is because I honestly think Dembele could be like Gazza for us. We've missed that kind of player at Spurs, and its the type of player we've traditionally been associated with.
The way he muscles around and through people is pretty unique, and I dont want the percieved need for a Modric/Carrick type "playmaker" to end up stifling Dembele's development.
Imagine a Gazza in our side. Pisses all over Modric.
I'm sorry I just think if you want a player badly enough to spend £20 million on them right at the end of the window, something drastic has to change for us not to want him any more. Either that or the deal has changed and we cant get him for a price we are willing to pay.
We cant go a whole season relying on the creativity of Dembele, we all saw how shit our midfield was before he arrived.
Also, I just dont think Lennon is good enough, he is so frustrating. Yes he has been playing well recently but he has never been consistent in his whole Spurs career be it through injury or form. He is a nearly man for me and always will be. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic player to watch and I love seeing him play, I just think we need to upgrade on him if we are going to challenge for top 3/4 or at least have another option of similar/better quality (appreciate Townsend hasn't done his chances any harm)
We cant go a whole season relying on the creativity of Dembele, we all saw how shit our midfield was before he arrived.
Also, I just dont think Lennon is good enough, he is so frustrating. Yes he has been playing well recently but he has never been consistent in his whole Spurs career be it through injury or form. He is a nearly man for me and always will be. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic player to watch and I love seeing him play, I just think we need to upgrade on him if we are going to challenge for top 3/4 or at least have another option of similar/better quality (appreciate Townsend hasn't done his chances any harm)