At £8m it’s not only the cheaper option for Spurs, but the better one!

Football
FanCast columnist ‘The New Voice of Football' feels that Matt Upson represents not only
the cheaper, but also the better option for Harry Redknapp.

If things carry on the way
they are now in central defence at Tottenham, then Harry will have no choice,
but to go out and buy yet another one in January. Ledley King, shouldn't be
able to play at all, with no cruciate left in either knee, but still manages to
defy the odds with Redknapp's careful managing of his injury. However, when
King doesn't play, Spurs lose something and it's a situation that needs
addressing.

The obvious candidate to
bring some much needed calm in Ledley's absence is Jonathan Woodgate, but he
appears so brittle, that a tackle from my granny, would put him on the
sidelines of White Hart lane for a couple of months. Michael Dawson is a
competent defender, but not in the same class and is just coming back from
injury, while Sebastien Bassong looks like a good buy, but is not yet ready to
lead the backline and needs a steadying influence alongside.

Tottenham have been linked
with a couple of possible purchases in the January sales to solve this problem,
Matthew Upson at West Ham and Bolton's Gary Cahill, who are both good
defenders, apparently on the Redknapp radar.

Trotters boss Gary Megson
has been calling for Cahill to be given a full England call-up, despite just
turning out once for the Under-21's and has publicly declared he has no
intention of selling the 23-year-old in January. However, words are cheap and
much would depend on whether Cahill wants to flee the Reebok. Even the big
managers can't hold on to players if they really want to go, just ask Rafa and
Sir Alex.

So hypothetically if Cahill
wanted to move, then he would not come cheap, given his rise to prominence this
season and at 23, with no serious injury history as yet, could be a good
addition to Tottenham.  Gary Megson is
reportedly looking for at least £20m for his star defender; an inflated fee,
but with Man City paying £22m for Lescott, one that the Bolton boss will clearly
feel is justified in holding out for.

Upson on the other hand is the man in possession in terms of England honours,
but is considerably older at 31. The Hammers have missed him badly recently in
a run, that has seen them hit the bottom three in the Premier League. Fabio
Capello likes him and it wouldn't surprise me if he kept him in ahead of Rio
Ferdinand, who has looked fairly ordinary at times this term.

Gianfranco Zola won't want
to lose Upson either, but might have little choice come January, given the
reported state of the financial woes at Upton Park. The club under pressure to
sell due to the farcical game of pass the parcel being played with them by the
Icelandic banks. £8-10million should be enough to lure him from East to North
London, providing the Hammers are prepared to back down from their recent pledge
not to do business with Tottenham.

Of the two, it really is a
no-brainer for me, with Upson you know exactly what you are getting. Someone,
who is strong calm and assured and has almost definitely played himself on to
the plane to South Africa next year. He might be older and has had injury
problems of his own, but nothing like the hypochondriac Woodgate or the
unfortunate King. In my opinion a very able deputy, partner or even
replacement, should the unthinkable happen and Ledley does finally break down.
Although everyone knows it's when and not if.

As highly as Cahill might
be rated, he is by no means the finished article, with Redknapp needing more
than just a good defender. He needs a leader, someone that can maintain the
calm and is a rock. Not another defender with a lot of promise, which we
already have in Bassong. So on that basis, should Harry be forced to go looking
again in January for a defensive rock, then Upson would certainly not only be
the better, but cheaper option as well.

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