With Harry under strict instructions that he must sell before he can buy this January, I cannot help but feel that Levy and Tottenham are missing a trick in not going out and cementing their top four place. I know that the current squad is incredibly strong, but let’s be honest it is far from complete.
It is a vital season for Tottenham and with City likely to spend heavily next summer and Liverpool looking to capitalise on new sponsorship deals, then it really is a case of seizing the opportunity now in grabbing that Champions League place and utilising the great wealth’s that come with it. Failure to achieve it this season won’t be their last chance to stake a claim for it, but you can’t help feel it will get harder year on year with rivals continuing to spend big and Tottenham may needing to have a few years of budgeting, should the new stadium get the green light by the council.
Tottenham for me are in pole position at present and only Liverpool offers any genuine threat to them finally reaching Europe’s elite tournament, for the first time since its inauguration in the early 90s. As a neutral it seems like far too good an opportunity to waste and while I am sure some supporters will say they have strength in numbers, I believe there are areas that certainly need improving.
For a team that has rattled as many goals they have this season it may seem strange to suggest that the forward line needs improving, I just feel that Tottenham look extremely blunt upfront when Jermain Defoe is out of the team. Should Defoe pick up a bad injury after the window shuts, have Tottenham really got enough goals in Crouch and Keane to maintain their challenge? I also question whether Harry is a little light in centre midfield and who could provide that bit of steel in midfield should Palacios get injured. The goalkeeper is another concern, especially since Cudicini’s accident and unfortunately Redknapp is relying on the impressive Gomes staying fit throughout the second half of the season, because Jimmy Walker or Ben Alnwick will hardly inspire great confidence to the backline. This trio make up the spine of the team and in my view Redknapp needs to add reinforcement, as the understudies are far from ideal for a club aiming for the Champions League.
As I say I am an outsider looking in so shoot me down if I am wrong, but I don’t understand given the excellent start to the season that Tottenham have had why the club will want to remain happy with their lot. It is alright selling before you can buy, but with only a four week window you are asking a lot in being able to get all your business done and successfully concluded. If I was the Dan Levy then I would simply bite the bullet, as he did last January, and allow Harry to finish the job he has started and finally secure a Champions League place, as you don’t know when the opportunity to achieve it is likely to come around again.
Written By Jerome Johnstone