Can Tottenham afford not to splash the cash?
With Tottenham securing the fourth spot and potentially getting a shot at the champions league next season, what must Harry Redknapp do to ensure that his side maintain and stay within the top four year in year out from now on?
Some neutral fans (and maybe even a number of Spurs fans) may feel that the lilywhites had lady-luck on their side this year. Others may feel that they fully deserved and earned the right to play in Europe’s biggest tournament next season. Whatever people may think, Harry Redknapp and his players have done an amazing job.
As a result of their outcome this season, Harry Redknapp will have sufficient funds available to utilize this summer. So surely with expected arrivals, and a team who already have a big squad depth, Spurs can keep hold of the luxury fourth spot for years to come? Maybe even go one better, who knows.
A lot of factors will come into play if Tottenham wish to stay up there along with the big dogs of the Premier League.
Many Spurs fans will feel that the current squad may need a few new additions added before the new season kicks off…two new arrivals may do the trick for some people. Acquiring a top striker this summer may be the most essential objective Spurs must do in order to keep hold of their fourth place next season. A forward that can bag the club at least 25-30 goals a season would do wonders for the club. Granted, it will be hard to find and obtain this player, but Redknapp is a man that can certainly accomplish this…will he is another question though.
The club already have Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Robbie Keane. But are these strikers able to help the club sustain their big four status in the league? In 38 games this season, Spurs accumulated a total of 67 goals in the Premier League…a possible cry out for another striker this summer?
The attack force may not be the area that needs strengthening at all; in fact, the main focal point this summer may involve the backline instead.
Ledley King is a top draw defender but he is very much injury prone. These days the centre-back can barely play two games in a row because of this. Jonathan Woodgate, 3 appearances this season says it all really. This may concern the fans and manager alike, and an investment in the defence may be on the cards this summer. Are Sebastian Bassong, Younes Kaboul and Vedran Corluka good enough replacements for when Ledley King and Michael Dawson are absent? (Spurs fans can answer this one)
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The law of diminishing returns applies here.The amount of improvement for the money spent becomes less and less with each player bought because Spurs are already near the top of the premiership.
One might wish for a new and unspoilt Berbatov,but finding one becomes increasingly difficult.
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Spurs don’t need a lot of new players. They need to keep the players they have. Spurs finished the season with a much better team than the side that started it. They learned a lot over 38 games, including how to deal with sides who sit deep and hope for a 0-0 draw. And players like Bale and Dawson got better and better over the months.
So keeping the squad is the first priority. Additions where players leave is fine. But we shouldn’t disrupt things too much.
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1 rockstar will do. Then perhaps 2 -3 changes to fringe players who have not been getting into team so much, keep the bench fresh and hungry..
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Can any team afford to rest ? Look at Barcelona, they have won the La Liga but still adding world class talent to their team. Is there such a team call good enough? No. Every team should always on the lookout to improve their talent. Some on a massive scale, some incrementally. Thankfully, Spurs do nee major changes. Harry is right. At the least we should at a marquee signing and I think it should be a striker. Of all the positions, we are lacking class inb that department. In an ideal(but achievable) world, my wish list would be Dzeko,Joe Cole, Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Turan. Out: Palyuchenko, Jenas, O’ Hara, Hutton and Keane
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Plain and simply, too maintain fourth they need to attract more players of champions league quality, because it looks like next season the top 8 (chelse, man utd, arsenal, liverpool, tottenham, man city, aston villa and everton) are adding to there squads, so it will be harder next season.
It will be an interesting season next year, looking forward to it.
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Trim squad, keep most, one top notch No.9.
Most teams will be struggling to comply with the raft of new regulations that will cme into effect over the next few years, regarding squad size, home grown players, and outgoing (in terms of transfer fees and wages) not exceeding incomings (which, I feel, is a largepart of Chesea’s reluctnce to up Joe Cole’s wages). Therefore, If Spurs can keep hold of the squad, with the exception of some trimming, and make one major signing, I would expect them to be in a better, not a worse position, viz. the other bg teams. This is a young and improving squad.
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Surely it’s about good management at the end of the day?. We cant afford to waste money like Man Utd did and get away with it. Arsenal’s debt is the only prohibitive factor against them and Aston Villa are where we were a season or two ago. I hope Man City have a merry go-round of players during the close season as it only benefits teams like ours, but buying big names (like who?) on vast salaries, isnt in my opinion the right way to go. Building a cohesive, combative TEAM, doesn’t always require marquee players to come on board, after all we’ve got six in the England squad, and arguably could have had more if Bentley got his head together sooner. We’ve a host of potential players, so its a matter of good management and acumen and not always the requirement to splash the cash.
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I would personally like to see us sign a world class striker, ideally Edin Dzeko. From what I’ve seen he looks awesome. Add to him a young, quality centre-back for when King can’t play and a good left-back and I think we will be fine. The centre-back could come in the form of Simon Kjaer. I’m not sure who could come in at left back but I personally feel Bale is better suited to the left-wing and as much as I think Assou-Ekotto is a good player, I’m not convinced he is top 4 quality. A starting 11 consisting of Gomes, Corluka, King/Kjaer, Dawson, NEW LB, Palacios, Sandro/Huddlestone, Lennon, Modric, Bale and Dzeko with the likes of Cudicini, Bassong, Kaboul, Naughton, Krancjar, Bentley, Defoe and Crouch for back-up sounds good to me. The 3 signings I think we would need would probably cost around £60m. We have a kitty of around £40-50m plus cash from the sales of Keane, O’hara, Jenas and Pavlyuchenko (approx £30m)so money is not a big issue. I think we need to utilise the fact we have champions league football to attract the talent to keep us there. We don’t need much but we need to continuously improve, especially when clubs around us are.
P.s. does anyone know of any potential left-backs we should look to sign?
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i cant believe spurs fans have compared themselves to barcelona, what you have to remember that city had a changes of managers this season, adebayor missing over half his games after being banned and nearly murdered, and tevez going back argentin for the birth of his child, 8 draws which at least 3 of them could have been averted, and a 98th minute winning goal againt the sum, add all that up and spuds would have not even been dreaming of the top 4, see you in the europa league next season, 2011/12 season, you wont get 4th again.
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