Spurs got the luck of the draw on Friday – in fact we got the best draw possible in Swiss League runners-up Young Boys. Not only did Redknapp’s men avoid dangerous teams like Sampdoria, Braga (conquerors of Celtic in the last round of qualifying) and Dynamo Kiev, but the second leg is at White Hart Lane, which is a definite advantage.
The team from Bern are not to be underestimated. They beat Fenerbahce in the hotbed of intimation that is Istanbul to get to this stage and that is no mean feat. However, if Spurs can’t beat Young Boys then they don’t really deserve to be mixing it with the big boys of Europe this season.
Many Tottenham fans have been surprised by the very un-Spurs and un-Harry-like patience and inactivity in the summer transfer window to date. Whenever asked about his potential signings and targets, Harry has responded by saying they are “not close” to doing any deals yet. He quite publicly missed out on Joe Cole, but no concrete talks seem to have happened between Levy and Harry’s targets that are supposed to take Spurs to that next level.
Waiting on Champions League Pot of Gold
Tottenham surely have some pulling power with their fourth place finish last term, the lure of European football (hopefully Champions League group stages) and a squad brimming with young talent and depth. But maybe everything hinges on the result of this two-legged date with destiny against Young Boys. Spurs are notorious for deadline day moves, in and out, (Pavlyuchenko, Corluka, Kranjcar and the departure of Berbatov to name a few) and even though the 2010/11 season will have already been several games old before the transfer window shuts, don’t be surprised if additions and sales are made on or just before the final day of dealings.
Daniel Levy, with the financial backing of Joe Lewis, has always been happy to back his managers in the transfer market, but in this pivotal time for Spurs he may be waiting to see what happens in the upcoming Champions League play-off before letting Redknapp loose with the funds. If they make it through, not only will this give Spurs a much bigger carrot to try to entice the likes of Luis Fabiano or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar with, but Levy would be able breath more easily when giving money to Harry to spend knowing the revenue will be coming in for the Champions League group game matches.
If Spurs fail to make it past Young Boys, Levy may be more inclined to hold back on the spending, knowing his squad’s rising stars are in with a shout of repeating their fourth place finish – despite the spending seen by Manchester City – and attempting to qualify for the group stages again next year.
Surely this huge qualifier is the reason for the tentative approach by Spurs in the transfer window, although Redknapp admitted that the inevitable James Milner move to Man City could spark off a domino effect in the market. Maybe Spurs are just playing the waiting game.
QPR Take Taraabt
On another note, it was sad to see another Spurs player who had been tipped for greatness, fail to make to grade. Adel Taarabt has been offloaded to QPR, where he was on loan at last season, for just £1m three years after signing as an 18-year-old starlet from Lens. He was talked up as the new Zidane, but despite his clear raw talent, cocksure dribbling ability and fleet of foot, has flattered to deceive as a reliable team player.
He joins a long line of players in the last few years that Spurs’ so-called scouting experts have brought in as the next-big-thing from Europe. Unlike many of the young foreigners our North London neighbours have snapped up and nurtured in recent years, who have ended up turning into superstars, ours have been frequently been loaned out before being moved on. It brings up slight concerns about the coaches at Spurs, if they can’t develop these talented youths into Premier League successes. Taraabt has the skill, but not the application, but he is clearly a rough diamond and it is a great shame that he has not sparkled for Spurs.
i reckon bellamy will happen.... now o'neil has left maybe we'll go back in for ashley young too. We need a right back and a centre back though. Also, sa we were linked with Remy - he looks decent. I hope Gio gets a chance this season too.
ReplyDeleteBellamy could well happen, but as Keano seems to be hitting form with he go or will it be Pav or Crouch? They could all potentially depart.
ReplyDeleteRedknapp clearly needs to sell to buy at the moment, not just for the money but because of the squad size.
We deffo need someone to challenge the right-back spot.
Gio should get until January window to prove himself otherwise he'll be shipped out, but I cant wait to see if he can be a success.
I dont know enough about Remy, would prefer a bigger name.